


The Star of the Team

by AliceDoll



Category: K-pop, f(x)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sports, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Drama & Romance, F/F, Humor, Lesbian Character, Love, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Teenage Drama, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-02 02:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 67,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4042732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceDoll/pseuds/AliceDoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love was something that you never really planned. Especially when the person you fell in love with was the captain of the girl's basketball team, Amber Liu. You admired her beauty and passion for everything she did from afar, but today, that was all going to change. In an attempt to become closer to the one who held your affection, you did something out of the ordinary and tried out for the cheer leading squad. What better place to see Amber more often, right?</p><p>Would you be able to make the team? Would you be able to capture her attention and get her to return your feelings? Would all your efforts be in vain?</p><p>The answer to all of your questions lies ahead. Join me as we travel down the road of your sophomore year of high school.</p><p>Amber Liu x Reader</p><p>GirlxGirl</p><p>Also on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/41124083-the-star-of-the-team-amber-liu-x-reader-lesbian</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tryouts

You sat in your math class with your head in your hand as you stared at the clock. Pre calculus just wasn’t clicking with you today. You nervously chewed down on the end of your pencil. You had other things to worry about besides some math equation that you were never going to use again. Tryouts for the cheerleading squad were after school, and you had to make sure that you made it.

You had your eyes on the captain of the girl’s basketball team, but you were always too nervous to even talk to her. All of that was going to change today when you aced those tryouts. You would finally have the chance to be close to her in a natural way.

A large grin formed across your face as you continued to stare off into space. You snapped out of your daze when snickers echoed through the room. Your teacher was standing right next to you with the math book in his hands. He had been calling your name for the past minute, but you were so preoccupied in your daydream that you didn’t hear him.

You apologized as he handed you a black dry erase marker. He pointed to the board and told you to solve the first equation on page 143. You stood up and sighed, taking the marker from him. You walked up to the board with your book in your hand. You scribbled down the equation and, to the dismay of your teacher, managed to solve it correctly. He thanked you as you sat back down in your seat.

You tried to focus on class to avoid your teacher calling on you again. Thankfully, the hour went by without another incident. The bell rang for class and the school day to end. You rushed out of your classroom heading, with purpose, to your locker. You gripped your books in your hand and swerved through the crowd of students attempting to leave the school grounds. One of the boys in your class pushed you out of his way and into another person. As both of your shoulders made contact, you lost your grip on your books, and they plastered the floor.

“Son of a--” you started as you dropped down to pick up your pages from class assignments and your books.

You looked up at the person you were pushed into and apologized for bumping into them. As your (eye color) eyes met with hers your voice caught in your throat. The person you ran into was none other than Amber, the captain of the basketball team. You completely froze as you stared up at her. You couldn’t believe that she was really in front of you and that you had bumped into her.

 _‘Well, say something! Don’t just sit here looking like a dork!’_ your mind screamed at you.

You opened up your mouth to speak but nothing would come out. Amber leaned down to help you pick up your things. She told you that the boy that pushed you was a jerk, and that she would deal with him later.

“N--no. It’s fine. You don’t have to on my account,” you stuttered nervously.

“If you’re sure. I can’t have Kevin picking on cute girls,” she said with a large smile.

You were pretty sure that your cheeks were bright red as you felt the heat rise into them. Your heart raced, almost jumping out of your chest, as butterflies filled your stomach. Amber, your crush, just called you cute. You couldn’t believe your ears.

Once all of your things were picked up, Amber stood up straight and helped you up from the floor. You took her hand in yours as the butterflies fluttering increased in your stomach. Once you were on your feet again, she placed her arms above her head to stretch.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later then…?” she paused, waiting for you to tell you her name.

“Oh! My name is (your name),” you said quickly as you realized what she was asking for.

“Nice to meet you, (your name),” she said as she flashed you another smile. “My name is Amber.”

“I know!” you said excitedly.

“That’s good.”

She giggled and waved to you as she told you goodbye. She walked away from you heading towards the gymnasium. You stood next to what you presumed to be her locker and mentally beat yourself up for reacting the way that you did. You made yourself look like a complete dork.

An announcement rang over the intercom reminding everyone about the cheer tryouts. You snapped out of your mental argument and ran down the halls to your own locker. You grabbed your tryout clothes and quickly stuffed your books into your backpack. You ran down the hall to the locker room to change clothes. As you reached for the handle, the door opened.

Out came Amber dressed in her black and red basketball uniform with a pair of matching Jordans. She looked down at the clothes in your hands and smiled at you. You told you good luck and held the door open for you. To hide your embarrassment and to not keep her standing there holding the door for you, you rushed inside the locker room to change. The door closed behind you as you made your way to the locker that you usually used during dance class.

A crowd of girls sat down on the benches chatting away about random boys on the football and basketball teams. You tuned them out as you changed out of your pleated skirt and short sleeved shirt. You slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top. You shoved your clothes and your backpack in the locker and locked it. You pulled your (hair color) hair out of your face and stared in one of the mirrors giving yourself an internal pep talk. You could do this. You had this. You were going to succeed.

You left the locker room and walked into the gymnasium. The normally empty room was filled with girls all ready to try out for the squad. Your heart sank when you saw the amount of girls in the stands and how pretty they were. Apparently, everyone had the same idea that you did.

You sat down on the bottom bleacher sulking. You placed your head in your hands as your elbows rested on your knees. You watched as three tables were set up in the middle of the gym floor. A boy about your height sat down next to you. He had a gorgeous face and could easily pass for a girl. He looked over at you with bright green eyes.

“Hi, I’m Alex. Are you trying out for the team too?” he asked you curiously.

“I’m (your name). Yeah, but I may just drop out. I don’t think I can complete,” you said as you started to lose confidence in yourself.

“I think you’ll do just fine. Just keep your goal in mind, and you should be fine. My goal is Martin on the football team. He’s the cutest guy I’ve ever seen.”

You stared at him with disbelief. This guy was a thousand times cuter than Martin and could easily be a model. You shrugged to yourself and thought about the reason you were even trying out for a ‘sport’ that you hated. His words relit your fire and determination. If he was going to go after his goal then you were as well.

Both of you laughed and exchanged small talk as the tryouts started. In the corner of your eye, you noticed a basketball practice going on on the other side of the court. You zoned in on Amber and watched as she effortlessly made basket after basket. Before her, you would have never even considered the sport. You lacked talent in sporty things unless dance counted.

Alex continued talking about something that you had unconsciously tuned out. Once he realized that you weren’t listening, he called out your name a couple of times to get your attention. When that didn’t succeed, he followed your line of vision and smirked.

“Ah. You have a thing for Amber, don’t you?” he said in a teasing tone.

That question snapped you back into reality. You placed your finger in front of your lips and told him to shush. He giggled at you and told you that if he was straight he would have the same interest so he could understand how you felt. A blush rose to your cheeks again. Before you could come up with a rebuttal, your name was called out.

“Please come down for your tryouts,” the leader of the cheer team said.

Your newly found friend wished you luck as you stepped off of the bleachers. As your first foot touched the floor, the shoelaces on your other foot got caught causing you to trip and fall forward. You quickly caught yourself with your hands before your face made contact with the floor. In an attempt to save yourself from embarrassment, you turned your fall into a somersault, losing your shoe in the process.

Part of the crowd cheered and applauded your effort while others laughed. The judges whispered amongst themselves and asked you to take a seat back on the bleachers. Distraught, you took your seat and looked over at the girls playing basketball. Amber was looking dead at you covering her mouth with her hand. From what you could tell, she was laughing at you. You looked away completely embarrassed. Of all the people that could have watched you humiliate yourself, she had to be one of them.

You grabbed your shoe and put it back on making sure to double knot the bow at the top. You sat depressed as you watched everyone else finish their tryouts. Alex performed perfectly and put all of the other girls to shame with his abilities and dances. You cheered and applauded for him in an attempt to forget your own failure. Once the last person performed, the judges stood up and announced that they would post the results tomorrow during lunch time.

Excited girls began to file out of the gym as you just sat there waiting. You didn’t have the energy to move. You weren’t looking forward to the inevitable results that would hit you the next day. Forcing yourself, you stood up and held your head high with a false confidence. You walked into the locker room, and were met with stares. Some people gave you a thumbs up while others snickered.

You unlocked your locker and grabbed your bag. You had no intention of staying in there longer than absolutely needed. Some of the girls applauded as you left. Your (eye color) eyes were masked with the beginning of tears. As you left the school, you made sure to avoid the places you knew Amber usually was at this time.

You walked down the road to your house which was luckily not that far from the school. You unlocked the door and stepped inside the living room. You kicked off your shoes and dropped your bag by the door. You closed the door and sluggishly crossed the living room until you landed with a loud thump on the couch. You drifted off into your thoughts, happy that the day was finally over.

  



	2. The Results Are In!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You had been avoiding Amber since you embarrassed yourself the day before. You knew that you hadn't made the team so you avoided reading the announcement. Alex came up to you and told you who made the team. Did you make the cut?

The next day at school you tried to avoid everyone as much as possible. You had contemplated faking an illness, but you couldn’t afford to miss your pre calculus class. You were doing fairly well in the class and didn’t want to miss something important. You worked really hard to get as far as you had and didn’t want that effort to go to waste if it could be avoided.

Luckily, most people seemed to be more preoccupied with the results of the tryouts than they were with your display the day before. Lunch time came quickly even though you were dreading the results. You decided that you weren’t even going to look at them. You knew that you hadn’t made the team.

You grabbed your lunch from your locker and sat down next to the dance room which was currently empty. It was your next class anyway so you figured you would save yourself the effort. All of your friends were on the second lunch rotation so you didn’t have anyone to sit with. You pulled out a (your favorite sandwich) sandwich from your lunch box and began munching on it.

You put in your earbuds and Korean pop music flooded your ears with the upbeat melody. You needed something to help get you out of the funk you were in. You tapped your foot as various choreography steps filled your mind. You were finally starting to cheer up when you noticed the boy from the tryouts. He waved to you excitedly and your heart sank. You had nothing against the guy but you really didn’t want to hear about how he made the team.

“(Your name)! I have such great news to tell you!” he yelled so loud that you could hear him through your music.

You pulled your earbuds out of your ears. Here it was about to come. He was about to brag to you about his success. You put on a fake smile and asked him what his news was.

“We made the team!” He jumped up and down excitedly clapping his hands.

Your face twisted in confusion. “We?”

“Yes! Your name was on the list to. I mean, your name is (your first and last name), right?”

A genuine smile formed on your face as you jumped up from your seat on the concrete walkway. You couldn’t believe it. Somehow, you managed to make the team even though you almost face planted out of the bleachers. You grabbed his arms and jumped with him as you felt joy rush through your body. You had made it. You were finally going to be close to Amber and would have the chance to redeem yourself in front of her.

After the initial excitement wore off, both of you sat down and talked the rest of the lunch period. When the bell signalling the end of lunch rang, you both stood up from your seats. You both said your goodbyes, and you watched him leave to go to his next class. You waited outside of your dance class for your teacher to unlock the door. You were so happy that nothing could bring you down.

The rest of the day went by so quickly. Once you grabbed your things from your locker, you walked over to the cafeteria to see the list posted outside for yourself. There, in bold letters, was your name. You pulled out your phone and took a picture of the list. You couldn’t wait to tell your friends about it. They were not going to believe it.

You left the building as a large grin crept across your face. You giggled to yourself and skipped down the pathway leading up to the sidewalk. You heard your name called out so you turned around. Standing behind you, in her basketball uniform, was Amber. Your eyes met and your heart skipped a beat. You were still riding the wave of happiness but anxiety began to mix in with it.

She walked up to you and congratulated you on making the team. You quietly said ‘thank you’ as you started to freeze up again. Was she going to bring up how you fell? The sight of her laughing at you flashed in your mind. Awkward tension began to form as your body became unaware of what feelings it wanted to feel. You were happy, embarrassed, nervous, anxious, and upset all at the same time.

A group of girls, wearing matching uniforms, called out to her . She waved to you and told you that she would see you later. She ran in the direction of her teammates and left you standing there. You released a long breath that you had kept during the whole encounter. You didn’t know what you were going to do. You were finally going to be close to her, but you couldn’t even function when you were around her.

You decided that you would think about it when you got home. The longer you stood there, the more your fellow remaining students stared at you. You walked down the path home like you did every day. You went inside your house and collapsed back down on the couch. It was starting to feel like a repeat of the day before.

You were confused about what you were supposed to do. You went through the effort of learning about cheerleading even though the concept of it was weird to you. You learned countless moves and cheers and practiced all summer long. You put so much time into this, but you couldn’t even talk to the girl you loved. You groaned into the couch pillow and listened to it echo throughout the empty house.

You sat up straight and turned on the television set and your (console of choice). You went to the YouTube app on your console and turned on the playlist you made containing your favorite Korean pop songs. You stood up and stretched as you prepared yourself for some dancing. Dancing always made you feel better and helped you to think things through better.

After about an hour, and massive amounts of sweating, you walked up the stairs to the bathroom. You stripped out of your clothes and tossed them in the laundry hamper. You stepped into the shower and pulled the (your shower curtain color) curtain closed. As you turned on the shower, cold water pelted you in the back. It shocked you at first but you quickly got used to it. You had one hell of a workout downstairs and the cold water was refreshing.

Water trickled down your body as thoughts of the day filled your mind again. You, unfortunately, weren't the type to just let something go if it was bothering you. Your mind wouldn't let you. It would constantly nag you until you solved the problem.

"Dammit," you said out loud. "I have no solution to this problem. She already thinks that I'm a loser. She watched me fall and embarrass the hell out of myself. Then again, she still talked to me and congratulated me even after that. Maybe that means that she likes me? Or that she was just being nice. Either way, I can work with that! I just have to try harder!"

You finally regained your confidence in yourself. You thanked your shower for always making things clear for you. You washed your hair and your body as quickly as possible. You turned off the water once you finished rinsing off your soapy body. The entire bathroom smelled like your body wash and was heavenly.

You ripped back the curtain with newfound vigor and grabbed a towel off of the rack. You wrapped it around yourself and tucked it underneath your arm to help keep it secure. Your hand wiped away some of the steam from the mirror, and you examined your reflection. You turned your head from side to side and smiled.

"I guess I am cute."

You made faces in the mirror, laughing at your own reflection. Your phone rang loudly, echoing through the room. It was your favorite song by your favorite artist. You had assigned that song to your best friend because it seemed to fit her personality. You picked up the phone and answered it, awkwardly keeping it from your face to keep the screen from getting wet.

"Hello?" you answered.

"How did everything go? I didn't catch you after school," she asked.

"I went to check the results," you paused, leaving her in suspense.

"And?" she asked, prying for more information.

"I made it!" you squealed excitedly into the phone.

"Oh my God! Yay! I'm so happy for you! So, does that mean you're quitting your normal club activities? I think we'd miss you in the culture club."

"I'm not quitting. Thankfully, cheer practice is after school and not during club hour," you reassured her.

"Good. We need our president," she said relieved.

She paused then started a new conversation. Her voice took on a teasing tone, "So, are you and Amber a thing yet?"

You scowled at your phone. "I hope you can feel my gaze of hatred."

She laughed. "I'm just kidding. Relax."

You heard yelling in the background on her end of the call. She groaned and told you that she had to go. You both said your goodbyes and hung up the phone.

You went down the hall to your room and flopped down on your bed. You stared up at the ceiling and watched your ceiling fan turn. You had finally accomplished at least the first part of your goal. You knew that you couldn’t just blurt out that you loved her. She would probably think that you were a creep and never speak to you again. So, friends was your next goal leading up to your main goal of being with her. You weren’t quite sure how you were going to accomplish either of those goals, but you knew that you had to try. You worked too hard to back down now.

  
  



	3. Decisions, Decisions

Midday sunlight flooded into your room from your window. You rolled over onto your side and wrapped your head in your blanket. You didn't want to wake up. Today was the first game you were cheering for and you weren't excited by it. It was for the boy's football team so you had absolutely no interest. You knew Alex was going to be ecstatic though.

You jumped forward as your phone vibrated and rang underneath your pillow. Reaching underneath, you pulled out your phone looking down at the screen. Your cheer coach was calling. Curious about the nature of the call, you answered the phone with a forced enthusiastic tone. She informed you that she needed everyone to show up early for practice before the game. You internally sighed but responded that you would be there as soon as you could.

Pushing the blankets off of your body, you stood up and stretched. You needed to be limber and loose for practice even if you weren’t looking forward to it. Sluggishly crossing the plush carpet in your room, the aroma of your favorite home cooked meal filled your nostrils. Filled with an instant burst of energy, you rushed down the creaking stairs and bolted into the kitchen. To your surprise, in front of the stove stood your mother, fiddling with the knobs.

Your mother had returned from her long business trip early and excitement took over your body as you ran up to her and tightly wrapped your arms around her waist. Taken aback by the unexpected hug, she jumped to the side. Realizing that it was just you, her shocked expression transformed into a pleasant smile. She reached down and happily returned the hug much needed hug.

“Good afternoon, (Your name). How is my little sleepy head doing?”

You pulled back from her and responded, “I am doing great. I’m so glad that you’re home early. I missed you.”

You could see the glimmer of tears forming in her eyes. It was clear that she had missed you as well. She blinked rapidly and cleared her throat to rid herself of the overwhelming emotions building in her chest.

Both of you sat at the dining room table and talked about what had been going on in your mother’s absence. She explained how her client was being a spoiled brat as usual while you laughed. Your mother was the manager of a famous singer who always seemed to cause her problems because of how haughty she was.

You explained to your mom about the cheer team and your practice today. She congratulated you and promised you that she would come watch you cheer tonight during the game. Excited, you told her that you would be happy to have her there and that if you did well she should treat you to some pizza. Your mother laughed and made the joke that you were going to turn into a pizza.

Seeing how late in the day it was getting, you scarfed down the remainder of the food and ran back up the stairs to change into your cheer uniform. You came back down, hair pulled back into a ponytail. You mother, with her phone’s camera, snapped multiple shots of you in your black and red uniform. She gushed over how cute you looked and told you how proud she was of you for stepping out of your comfort zone. She didn’t know the reason behind your decision, and you planned to keep it that way. She was very understanding in a lot of cases, but if she knew you only did this to get close to another person, she would instantly disapprove.

You hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before waving goodbye and walking out of the door, your cheer bag in hand. A genuine smile on your face, you skipped down the concrete sidewalk. You were excited to be able to show your mom how good you had gotten at cheering. You hummed the tune of your favorite song at the moment, listening to the sweet song of birds tweeting by. Today was going to be a good day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You watched as people filed into the stands of the outdoor coliseum. Within minutes, they were filled to the brim with overly enthusiastic fans cheering on their favorite team. Banners, crudely covered with the names of random players, flew by and air horns sounded. You stood at the bottom of the bleachers clapping your hands and bouncing up and down to the beat of the music blaring next to you.

Alex giggled as he watched you get pumped up for the game. You were never this enthusiastic about cheering, much less for a team that you held no interest in. Once the song ended, he whispered to you and asked you why you were so excited. You just smiled brightly and told him you were having a good day. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He was almost certain that you had hit your head while at home.

The game began and you nailed every single routine perfectly and effortlessly. You cheered loud and proud, almost putting the others to shame with the amount of energy you had. Your other team members watched you in amazement. You were never this excited about practice. They knew something was different, but they felt that it was best to not pry.

Your mother sat at the front, video camera in hand. She was making sure that she had a record of this so she could show everyone in the family. They weren’t going to believe that nerdy, little, (your name) had decided, on her own, to become a cheerleader. You stared back a couple of times in between the routines and waved to her, flashing her a large smile. This was the happiest she had seen you in a long time, and she was loving every minute of watching you.

After the game was over and your school’s team had won by a landslide, you hugged your teammates and walked into the stands searching for your mom. She wasn’t in her seat so you just assumed she had a call from work that she had to take. Sitting down in the stands, you looked over the large field, the crowd’s energy still flowing within you.

Clapping sounded next to your ear, drawing away your attention from your thoughts. Shock took over your face as Amber stood there dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a t-shirt. Her brown, highlighted bangs were perfectly swooped out of her eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. You heart jumped in your chest as she congratulated you on doing a great job. You swallowed hard, unable to speak. All you could manage was a nod of the head.

“You know, with you cheering me on, I think we will be able to win this year. You have so much energy. We could really use that. I hope you cheer like that for us as well. We don’t need the boys having all the fun,” she said, flashing you a smile that made you melt in your seat.

Red creeping up on your cheeks, you forced words to leave your mouth. “Of c--course. I like you better than the boys anyway.”

Dammit. Those weren’t the words you wanted to come out of your mouth. You mentally beat yourself up as Amber laughed. She held onto the seat next to you to prop herself up as she continued to laugh. Feeling embarrassed and defeated, you slumped down into your seat in a failed attempt to make yourself disappear.

Once she wiped away the tears forming in her eyes, she said, “I’m glad to hear that.”

She brought her face down towards your own. Your (eye color) eyes glanced up meeting with hers. Your heart raced in your chest and echoed in your ears. Her lips were mere inches from your own, and you could feel the warmth of her breath hitting your cheek. Instinctively, your eyes closed without regard to what you wanted. You broke out of your daze as you felt something poke your nose. Your eyes quickly opened as Amber’s finger stood at the end of your nose.

“Your eyes are very pretty, and you have such a cute nose,” she said. Your voice caught in your throat again so she continued, pulling her hand away from your face. “Well, since you did such an awesome job today, why don’t I treat you to some dinner tonight? We can hit up Johnny’s Pizza.”

As the words flowed through your ears like music, you thought your heart was going to explode in your chest. Was Amber asking you out on a date? You would have to be stupid to say no to an offer like that. Oh, but wait. Your mom was supposed to be taking you out tonight, and you didn’t know when you two would have this chance again. You would have to make a choice: go to dinner with Amber or go to dinner with your mom.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be two separate chapters based on your choice. :3


	4. I Choose You! (Amber Version)

Your heart raced in your chest as you desperately weighed your options. You didn't know if you were ever going to get another chance like this. This date would be another step closer to your true goal of being together with Amber as a couple. This was also the first you had seen your mom in about a month, and it was lonely at your house. Although, if you were together with Amber, you wouldn't be lonely anymore. Besides, you could always go out to eat with your mom the next night. That was it. You had decided.

"I would love to go get pizza with you. Let me just text my mom and let her know!"

You pulled your phone out of your bag. Your fingers glided across the screen as you typed out the fastest text you had ever sent before. You informed your mother that you would be celebrating with a friend tonight instead of your original plans. You pressed the send button and patiently awaited a reply.

Whistling reverberated from your phone as it vibrated. You swiped the screen and as you read the message, your smile disappeared. She was hell bent on treating you to pizza, and she wouldn't hear another word about it. She messaged you again stating that your friend could you two if she wanted.

Defeated, you shut off your phone's screen and looked over at Amber who had taken the seat next to you. You laughed nervously as you explained the situation to her. You expected her to immediately pass on the outing with your mother, but to your surprise, she agreed. She said that your mother had to be an interesting person because you were, and she would love to meet her.

Amber stood up and reached back, stretching out her body and giving you a nice eyeful of her toned abs. You quickly looked away in hopes to not be caught staring. Your mother waved to you, catching your attention. You waved back and walked up to her, Amber in tow. You nervously introduced them to each other and were delighted to see them shake hands.

Maybe this could turn out to be a good thing. She was meeting your mom which was a normal step in relationships. Happiness flowed from your face as you drifted off into your own thoughts. Your mom snapped her fingers and jerked you from your lovely daydream about kissing Amber on your doorstep after a date.

"Lets go. This is no time to be dreaming about pizza. We'll be getting some soon," your mother said as she grabbed you by the arm and pulled you from the stands.

"I'll meet you two there!" Amber yelled as she waved goodbye.

Silence filled the awkward tension in the car, and you knew that your mother was angry with you. You sighed and stared out the window, watching the other cars on the road drive by. Your mother’s phone rang, playing the chorus of an 80s song you had heard a lot as a child. She groaned and answered the bluetooth device in her ear with a sweetened tone. You knew who was on the other end if she was acting like that. Yelling sounded from the phone and you could hear every single word.

“You need to come back here right now! They ruined my order again! Stupid room service gave me eleven ice cubes instead of ten! Did you hear me? ELEVEN DAMNED ICE CUBES!”

“Why don’t you just take one of them out? Then you’ll have ten,” your mother said as she pulled the device out of her ear and held it out away from her.

“Are you kidding me? You can’t be serious! Their odd numbered cubes have tainted my diet coke! You better be here and have this fixed by the morning or you’re fired!”

Charlotte hung up the call and your mother threw her headset onto the dash. Slamming her fist into the center of the steering wheel, the horn activated, thoroughly irritating the neighboring passengers. Taking in calming breaths, she relaxed and glanced over at you. Both of you made eye contact but remained silent. You knew that this meant that your mom would be leaving soon and heading back to whatever city Charlotte decided she wanted to room in that night.

“Well, if you want, I will order pizza for you and your friend. What was her name...Amber?” You nodded, letting her know that she was right. “If she can bring you home, I will drop you off. I have to find a flight last minute...again.” The anger was noticeable in her normally calm voice, and her hands shook, containing her emotions.

Guilt washed over you as you remembered who your mom deals with every day. You were really going to give up spending time with her just for a date with Amber. Clearing your throat, you suggested that she stay until she had something to eat. You reassured her that you wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before she left. A smile creeping across her face, your mom thanked you and decided to do just that.

You two pulled into the parking lot and stepped out of the car. Amber drove up in an older Honda Civic that still looked like it was in perfect shape, and parked next to you mother’s Lexus. Both of you exchanged smiles as you all walked into the building. To your surprise, there were very few people in the restaurant. It looked like you had beaten the rush which was great because the night buffet had just started.

A familiar face popped up behind the counter, and he flashed you that same smile you had seen a million times before. Awkwardly, you smiled back. It would figure that he would be working at Johnny's tonight. He seemed to always be working for whichever pizza joint you decided to hit that day. You chopped it up to coincidence since he did legitimately work at three of them.

"Hello, Ms. (Your Mom's Name)!" He called out to her.

"Oh, Nick! Fancy meeting you here. How have you been?" she asked.

You sighed as they continued their encounter. Your mom actually liked him a lot and used to wonder about you two dating. Little did she know, he wasn't--and never would be--your interest. After moments of you standing in awkward silent, everyone ordered their buffets and drinks. You picked out a booth right next to the buffet filling your plate with a mountain of various pizza slices.

You sat down on the side closest to the buffet and your mother sat opposite of you. Amber sat down right next to you, her plate fairly full as well. Your heart did jumping jacks in your chest. Amber was sitting right next to you. It was like a real date! Well, minus your mother’s appearance. After moments of silence and eating, Amber asked your mom what she did for a living. You sipped on your favorite soda, listening to your mom ramble on about Charlotte.

“Wow. Is she really like that? I actually like some of her music. The lyrics suck, but they are just so catchy. I always find myself singing to them when they’re on the radio,” Amber responded as she finished off another slice of pizza.

You revelled in the moment. You were slowly learning more about Amber than you did before. You never knew that she enjoyed singing or listening to crappy pop music. You smiled to yourself, happy that you were finally getting to spend some real time with Amber and that your mom seemed to like her a lot.

“So, (Your Name), what kind of music do you like?” Amber asked as she looked over at you.

You coughed as soda went into your nose. She was actually asking you about the things you liked. Mentally, you high-fived yourself. You were slowly getting closer to at least being friends which was better than just watching her from afar every day at practice.

Once you cleared the burning sensation from your nose and throat, you responded quietly, “I like a little bit of everything.”

“She especially likes Korean pop music. She’s always practicing some new dance,” your mom interjected.

“Oh? So, you can dance? That’s awesome. I’m a pretty good dancer myself,” Amber said as she smiled.

Your heart thumped louder in your chest as your face heated. This was going amazingly. Just to be on the safe side, you pinched your thigh. When you winced from the pain, you knew that you weren’t dreaming. This was really happening and you couldn’t be happier.

A familiar ring tone sounded from Amber's phone beside you. It was “Replay” by SHINee. She answered the call and excused herself from the table. It wasn't really any of your business who had called, but that didn't stop your curiosity.

Since you were craving something sweet anyway, you decided to use that to your advantage. Standing next to the buffet, you caught a better view of Amber talking. You watched as she smiled and laughed while talking to whomever had called.

Completely preoccupied, you didn't even notice Nick walk up to you. He tapped you on the shoulder causing you to jump. You turned to look at him, peeved that he was interrupting something important. You flashed him the false smile you always gave him. Here it was. He was about to ask what he asked every single time he ran into you.

"So, I see you had a game today. Too bad I had to miss it. It would have been great to see you cheer." His smile widened, showing off his perfect teeth.

You just kept that same smile on your face. It wasn't that he was unattractive. In fact, he was hands down one of the hottest guys in the neighborhood. Every girl seemed to want him but for some insane reason, he was fixated on you. Maybe your obvious lack of interest made him want what he couldn't have.

"So," he continued, "what are you doing tomorrow night? I'm free from work so we could go out somewhere. It would be your choice."

Silently, you stood there trying to come up with an excuse you hadn't already used. You had even gone as far as to pull the period card on him, even though it wasn't true. You couldn't use your mom as the excuse since she was leaving tonight. Maybe you could just say that you already had plans and be super vague about it.

Before you could speak, you felt an arm around your shoulder. Looking up, you could see that it was Amber. She had a stern look on her face and seemed to be irritated by the situation at hand.  

"Sorry but I don't think she's interested."

She pulled you away from the buffet bar, leaving him standing there flabbergasted by what just happened. Internally, you rejoiced in Amber saving you. You thanked her, and she responded by saying there was no need to thank her. She just hated guys that couldn't catch a hint.

After escorting you back to the table she said, "Sorry. I gotta go. See you at school, (Your Name). It was nice to meet you Ms. (Your Mom's Name)."

You both exchanged goodbyes, and you slumped down in your seat as you watched her exit the building. You were ecstatic that she saved you, but a thought kept beating around in your head. Who was she on the phone with beforehand? You knew you had no reason to be jealous, but you still were.

Your mom, who was too busy searching for a flight to pay attention to what had just occurred, looked up from her phone and watched your mannerisms closely. She could tell that something was up with you, but she was unsure what it was.

Both of you finished off your meals. Once you were completely stuffed, you two stepped outside of the restaurant. The ride home was silent. Your mom seemed to be lost in thought, and you felt it was best to not bother her. She was probably worried about Charlotte, and you really didn't want to hear about her anymore that night.

Your mom spent the remainder of her time at home packing and setting up another flight. You two didn't really converse other than random stuff here and there. You couldn't take it anymore so you finally asked her if something was wrong. She smiled sweetly and replied that she was just fine. She said that she was just lost in thought.

As she placed her bags in front of the door, her smile vanished and a serious look formed on her face. She had finally come up with the proper way to ask what she had wanted to the entire night. She turned to you and asked you to sit down on the couch.

You did as you were asked but sweated. Was she still mad about you attempting to bail on her? Maybe she didn't approve of Amber and thought you had bad taste in friends. Your mind raced through a million scenarios about what she wanted to talk about.

"This girl...Amber..." she started.

Uh oh. This was it. This was her saying that she didn't like her. You opened your mouth to interject, but she stopped you by placing her finger on your lips.

"You like her, don't you?” she finished.

You sat there flustered and confused. It figured that your mom would have figured it out. You had to play dumb though. You couldn't just outright say that you liked her.

"Well, of course I do! She's my friend," you respond nonchalantly.

Your mom gave you _that_ look. "You know what I mean, (Your Name). Don't be coy with me."

Damn. Why did your mom always have to be so sharp and observant? You sat in silence and gripped your skirt in your hands. You weren't sure what the right response was. You knew that if you lied, and she found out about it later, you would be in even more trouble. No guts, no glory at this point.

Looking down at your hands, you nodded your head as your cheeks went flush. Silence was your only response. Oh no. She was upset with you. You glanced up and saw your mom smiling which took you aback. She wrapped her arms around you and hugged you tightly.

"I'm so happy for you. It's about time you found someone that you like." She pulled back from you. "Does she know?"

"No. I haven't had the courage to tell her yet. I am pretty sure the feeling isn't mutual."

"Oh," was all that she could muster. After the awkward pause she continued, "Well, give her time. She'll come to like you."

"I hope so. Thanks, Mom. I love you."

After one last embrace, she looked down at her watch and scrambled to the door. She told you that she loved you as she waved goodbye before grabbing her bags and walking out the door. As the door shut behind her, you plopped down on the couch and sighed. You were so happy that the day went better than you thought it would when you woke up.

Your phone vibrated on the coffee table as your ringtone went off. You had received a text message. Curious about who would be texting you, you picked up the phone and stared at the screen. An unknown number popped up. You opened the message and your heart jumped as you read it.

"I'm sorry that I had to bail on you so early. I will make it up to you. How about we go bowling with me tomorrow night? I got a voucher for two hours if you're interested. It's glow bowling so you would need something neon if you decided to go. Amber."

An excited squeal escaped your mouth as you jumped up. There was no way that you weren't going. You waited a few minutes before you replied. You didn't want to seem desperate. Once the agonizing wait was over, you sent her a message saying that you would love to go with her even if you sucked at bowling.

You ran upstairs and dug through your entire closet looking for the perfect thing to wear. Excitement billowed from your body as you danced around your room. You couldn't wait to tell your best friend about this, but you knew she was probably passed out by now. It would have to wait until in the morning. You weren't even sure if you were going to be able to sleep that night, but what you were sure of was that tomorrow was going to be the best day ever.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback on which choice you made and/or which one you enjoyed the most! Thank you! ^w^


	5. I Choose You! (Mom Version)

Your heart raced in your chest as you desperately weighed your options. You didn't know if you were ever going to get another chance like this. This date would be another step closer to your true goal of being together with Amber as a couple.

This was also the first you had seen your mom in about a month, and it was lonely at your house. Although, if you were together with Amber, you wouldn't be lonely anymore. But you didn't know if you would have another chance with your mom before Charlotte demanded her return. That was it. You had decided.

"I wish I could, but I promised my mom that I would go out to eat with her tonight. This is the first time she has been home in a while. I hope you understand," you said nervously.

You weren't sure how she would react. You were essentially rejecting her even if it wasn't your intention. You just didn't want to feel the inevitable guilt if you bailed on your mom. This was the only solace she had from that demon woman she had to deal with on a daily basis.

To your relief, she responded, "That's really sweet of you to spend time with her like that. I totally understand."

Your (eye color) eyes lit up instantly. Yay! She wasn't upset. She even called you sweet. You shuffled nervously in front of her and blushed.

"(Your Name), are you ready to go?" your mom called out to you as she walked up to you. She spotted Amber and smiled, "Oh! I didn't know you had a friend with you! Hi. I'm (Your Name)'s mom, (Your Mom's Name)."

"Hello, Ms. (Your Mom's Name). My name is Amber."

Amber held out her hand and your mother took it happily. Both of them smiled at each other, and you reveled in the sight. Your mom and Amber had met, and they were off to a great start. You tuned them out and drifted off into a daydream about prom. Your mother gushed over you and took lots of pictures of you and Amber together.

"Hey! Stop daydreaming about food and hurry up so we can go," you mother said pulling you from your happy thoughts.

Amber giggled softly, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her amusement. Your face turned a darker shade of red as the embarrassment settled in. Amber cleared her throat and said that she will meet both of you at the pizza restaurant. She waved goodbye and took her leave. You stood there baffled. What had happened when you zoned out?

Your mother grabbed your arm and pulled you to the car. As you buckled in, you asked her why Amber was meeting you at Johnny's. She informed you that she felt that it wasn't fair for you to miss out spending time with a friend just because of her. Wow. Your mom was being very generous today.

You two held pleasant conversation the entire ride to the restaurant. As you two pulled into the parking lot, your mother's phone buzzed and rang, playing the chorus of an 80s song you had heard a lot as a child. She pressed the button on the side of her bluetooth headset and answered in a thickly sweet tone that she only ever used with one person. Yelling sounded from the other end allowing you to hear every single word.

“You need to come back here right now! They ruined my order again! Stupid room service gave me eleven ice cubes instead of ten! Did you hear me? ELEVEN DAMNED ICE CUBES!”

“Calm down, Charlotte. Why don’t you just take one of them out? Then you’ll have ten,” your mother said patiently as she pulled the device out of her ear and held it out away from her.

“Are you kidding me? You can’t be serious! Their odd numbered cubes have tainted my diet coke!"

"Put Room Service on the phone," your mom said in a stern tone, interrupting Charlotte's rant.

You could hear Charlotte groan on the other end before passing the phone off to another person. His voice was quiet and harder to make out. Your mom explained his current situation to him, and he immediately apologized saying that he would fix the issue right away.

Charlotte took the phone again, "Thank you for dealing with that...whatever you call him."

"You're quite welcome," your mom responded, rolling her eyes.

In a lower octave, Charlotte asked your mom when she would be returning. Your mom responded that she planned to stay throughout the weekend. You already knew that wasn't how things were going to go. Someone else would screw up something and your mom would be the one that had to deal with it.

"I would prefer if you came back tomorrow. I have a photoshoot the next day, and I need you to help me make my reservations. You know they only take in person reserves," she said in that snooty voice of hers that grated on your nerves.

"They take phone ones, but you have to make things more complicated for me," your mom said under her breath.

"Just make to be here in the morning before breakfast. I need you to make sure that my pancakes are made perfectly."

Your mom sighed. "Okay, Charlotte."

"See you in the morning. Ta ta!"

Charlotte hung up the phone and your mom tossed her headset onto the dashboard. She rubbed her temples slowly before looking up. The line at Johnny's was long which was to be expected after the game they had. She sighed again taking in deep breaths.

"This looks like it's going to take forever to get a pizza. It looks like the buffet hasn't even started for tonight yet either." She gazed at her watch.

"Well, we could always try another place," you said.

Tapping sounded on the window next to your head causing you to jump in your seat. Your mom rolled down the window. It was Amber. Leaning down in the window, she shot you another smile. She needed to stop doing or your chest was going to erupt.

"Looks like they're really busy in there. Wish we had gotten here before the crowd," she said, nudging her head to the line out the door.

"We could always go somewhere else. Or if you girls want, we can head back home and order pizza there. We have tons of movies to choose from," your mom suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea!" you said excitedly before thinking about it.

"I agree." Amber nodded. "I've never been there before, but it's just up the road from school right?"

Nodding excitedly, you drifted back off into a daydream. Amber was going to be at your house! You were exhilarated at the chance to sit next to her on the couch watching some cheesy movie. Maybe you should let her pick the movie? Before you realized what was going on, your mom pulled out of the parking lot and began the drive home.

"She seems like such a nice young lady. She's very polite. Why can't your other friends be more like that?" your mom asked.

Still in your daze, all you managed was a shrug in response. Staring out of the window, you watched house and trees pass by. You wondered what movie Amber would pick. Would it be a comedy? Or an action movie? Maybe a horror movie so you could feign being scared and grip onto her. You grinned to yourself as you two pulled into the driveway.

Both of you exited the car, and you skipped up to the house. Amber pulled up in front of the house in an older Honda Civic that seemed to still be in perfect shape. She laughed to herself as she watched your skipping. Once everyone was at the door, your mom unlocked it and hung up her keys.

Amber held the door open and said, "Ladies first."

Another blush crept up on your cheeks. "Umm...thank you!"

"You're welcome." She entered the living room after you and looked around at your nice house.

"You can sit on the couch if you want. I'm just going to change clothes real quick. Umm...the remotes are here on the coffee table. We also have shelves of movies if you would like to pick one." Your mouth ran a mile a minute as you stuttered through the words.

"Awesome." She plopped down on the couch and leaned back. "I'll wait til you come back down before I pick a movie."

"Oh. Okay. I'll make sure to be quick then."

You ran up the stairs faster than you ever had before. Busting through the cracked down, you stumbled over your backpack. You silently cursed it's existence as you raided your closet. Shuffling through rows of clothes, you finally decided on something casual yet cute. You didn't want it to look like you were trying hard to look cute. Your mom was smart and would pick up on that quickly. You didn't want to listen to that line of questioning just yet.

Pulling it softly off the hanger, you grabbed a hoodie dress that you hadn't worn since the winter time. You stripped out of your cheer uniform and tossed it into the hamper next to your door in the corner. Reaching into your drawer, you pulled out a pair of black shorts. After those were on, you debated over putting on an undershirt or not.

"Hmm...maybe I should. Just in case something happens," you whispered to yourself.

You pulled the black, matching shirt over your head before shoving your arms in the sleeves of the (your favorite color) dress. Once they were through, you fiddled around with the zipper to zip it up. You stopped right above your bust line. Seems like they have grown some since the last time you wore this dress. Good thing you decided on the undershirt.

Examining yourself in the mirror, you undid your ponytail and brushed out your hair. You decided that it was best to keep it down, but should you wear the hood? Lifting it over your head, you played around with the cat ears attached. As cute as it was, it was a bit much. You pushed it off your head and hopped back down the stairs.

You could hear your mom on the phone with the Johnny’s Pizza House nearby. Amber still sat on the couch where you left her. You put on your cutest smile and asked her if your mom had even bothered to ask her what kind of pizza she wanted. She informed you that she did as you sat down on the couch next to her.

The television was on and played some random commercial about a new movie coming out. It didn't seem to be your type of movie so you just ignored it. You two sat in silence before she spoke up.

"That dress is really cute. It looks good on you."

There was that smile again. You were going to turn into a puddle of unrecognizable goo if she kept that up. You thanked her for the compliment and internally was proud of yourself. You were getting better about talking to her and weren't as nervous as before. You were making progress.

"Okay girls, the pizza should be here in half an hour. I'm going to get my flight setup."

"Flight? Are you going somewhere?" Amber asked.

"Unfortunately. Business calls and Charlotte is my client. You would be amazed at how many times I get called by her on a daily basis."

"The Charlotte? As in, 'Broken Love''s Charlotte?" Amber asked, clearly excited about the topic. Your mother nodded prompting Amber to continue. "That's awesome. I mean, her lyrics suck, but her songs are really catchy. I always end up singing to them when they come on the radio."

Your smile widened as you watched her fangirl over Charlotte. As horrible of a person she was, her songs topped the charts, and there was no denying how popular she was. Amber turned to you and asked you want kind of music you liked which caught you off guard. She was interested in what you liked.

"Umm...I like all kinds of music," you responded.

"She enjoys Korean pop music the most," your mom chimed in. "She's always learning some new dance. She's really good at it."

"You can dance? I am pretty good at it myself."

Inside, you were jumping for joy. You were learning things about Amber that you didn't before and you two shared a hobby. Things were definitely going great for you. Your mom left you two in the living room as she went to schedule her last minute flight to whatever city Charlotte had decided she wanted to stay in that night.

You two sat in silence, watching commercials that had you cracking up. A familiar one popped up on the television, prompting you to sing along with the song that was used in the background. It was the Microsoft commercial with 2NE1’s song “I am the Best” that you always thought was a bit cheeky and clever of them to use in order to prove that they were better than Apple. Amber watched as you moved your hands similar to the music video’s choreography.

When the commercial came to an end, the doorbell rang. You hopped up from your seat and answered it. The usual pizza guy that always seemed to be the one to bring you your pizza stood there. He gave you a large smile, clearly happy to see you. Your smile faded as you looked up at him.

“Hi, (Your Name),” he said as his smile widened, showing off his perfect teeth.

“Oh. Hi, Nick.” You tried to force a smile on your face. You didn’t want to come off as being rude.

“Well, here is your order. Your mom already paid me so you don’t have to worry about that. She didn’t leave a tip though. You could always go out on a date with me to make up for it. I am free tomorrow night.”

Here we went again. This wasn’t the first time he had asked you out. The guy wasn’t unattractive by any means. In fact, he was one of the hottest guys in the neighborhood. Tons of teenage girls fawned over him but for some reason, he always seemed to have an odd interest in you. Maybe it was because you clearly weren’t interested, and he just wanted what he couldn’t have.

Amber watched how uncomfortable he made you and stood up from her seat.  Walking with a purpose, she grabbed the pizzas from him and put them on the table. Reaching into her wallet, she pulled out a $5 bill and tossed it at him.

“There’s the tip so keep yours to yourself.” She closed the door in his face and sat back down on the couch, crossing her legs.

Your mouth hung open as you stared at her before sitting back down. You couldn't believe that she had done that for you.“Thank you for that.”

"It's no biggie. I just don't like guys who obviously can't take a hint."

She reached into the box, pulling out a large slice of pizza. Biting into it to hide her obvious face of disgust, you giggled and smiled. Your mom walked into the room and set three cups filled halfway with ice on the table. Asking you two what you would like to drink, she went back into the kitchen and procured those for you two.

As you took your own slice of (your favorite pizza) pizza, your mom plopped down next to you, pushing you closer to Amber. She remained silent, still miffed by Nick and his excessive trying. A phone rang and you instantly recognized the song as "Replay" by SHINee. Amber reaches into her pocket and answered the call as she swallowed another bit. Excusing herself, she stood up and walked into the hallway.

Trying desperately to hear the conversation, you leaned over the side of the couch. Your mother, watching you make a fool of yourself, popped you lightly on the leg and told you to stop being nosey. You sat back into your seat properly, finishing off your food.

Amber came back into the living room, disappointment written all over her face. Grabbing another slice of pizza and finishing it off quickly, she informed that she had to go. You quickly stood up from your seat and walked her to the door.

"What's your number?" she asked as you two stepped outside of the door.

You gave her the number and reached in your pocket to take hers, only to realize that you had left your phone upstairs in your bag. Telling you that she would text you later, she waved and left you standing there. Before going back inside, you watched her get into her car and drive off.

Sullen over Amber’s sudden departure, you reentered the house and plopped back down next to your mom who stared at you intently. It was clear she wanted to say something, but she was searching for the right words to say. You two sat in silence, finishing off the first box of pizza. Finally, your mother cleared her throat to grab your attention.

“I need to talk to you,” she said, a stern look on her face.

Uh oh. What had caused the sudden change in mood? Did you do something wrong? You thought back to the incident with Nick. Your mom was always bothering you about dating him. Maybe she had actually heard what had went down and had an issue with Amber’s approach. Putting on a large smile, you asked her what she wanted to speak to you about.  

“It’s about this new friend of yours, Amber.”

“Mom, I can--” you started, but she stopped you by placing her finger on your lips.

“You like her, don’t you?” she finished.

You sat there flustered and confused. It figured that your mom would have figured it out. You had to play dumb though. You couldn't just outright say that you liked her.

"Well, of course I do! She's my friend," you respond nonchalantly.

Your mom gave you _that_ look. "You know what I mean, (Your Name). Don't be coy with me."

Damn. Why did your mom always have to be so sharp and observant? You sat in silence and placed your hands in your dress pockets. You weren't sure what the right response was. You knew that if you lied, and she found out about it later, you would be in even more trouble. No guts, no glory at this point.

“Yes. I like her, Mom.”   
  
You waited on a response with bated breath. Silence was your only response. Oh no. She was upset with you. You glanced up and saw your mom smiling which took you aback. She wrapped her arms around you and hugged you tightly.

"I'm so happy for you. It's about time you found someone that you like." She pulled back from you. "Does she know?"

"No. I haven't had the courage to tell her yet. I am pretty sure the feeling isn't mutual."

"Oh," was all that she could muster. After the awkward pause she continued, "Well, give her time. She'll come to like you."

"I hope so. Thanks, Mom. I love you."

After one last embrace, she stared down at her watch. “I love you too. Well, I have to go get things packed up.”

Grabbing the empty pizza box, she left the living room. After finishing off multiple more slices of pizza, the faint sound of your text tone reached you. Excitement filled your chest, as you ran up the stairs hoping that it was Amber. Gripping your phone in your hand, an unknown number popped up. You opened the message and your heart jumped as you read it.

"I'm sorry that I had to bail on you so early. I will make it up to you. How about we go bowling with me tomorrow night? I got a voucher for two hours if you're interested. It's glow bowling so you would need something neon if you decided to go. Amber."

An excited squeal escaped your mouth as you jumped up. There was no way that you weren't going. You waited a few minutes before you replied. You didn't want to seem desperate. Once the agonizing wait was over, you sent her a message saying that you would love to go with her even if you sucked at bowling.

You dug through your entire closet looking for the perfect thing to wear. Excitement billowed from your body as you danced around your room. You couldn't wait to tell your best friend about this, but you knew she was probably passed out by now. It would have to wait until in the morning. You weren't even sure if you were going to be able to sleep that night, but what you were sure of was that tomorrow was going to be the best day ever.

 

  


 

 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback on which choice you made and/or which one you enjoyed the most! Thank you! ^w^


	6. A Date with Amber? Yes, Please!

The sun filtered through the blinds in the window casting a dim light across your blankets. Your eyes fluttered open as the sun danced across your eyelids. As you sat up straight in your bed and stretched, a soft yawn escaped your body. You were unaware that you had even managed to fall asleep. Excitement billowed from your body as the thought of your plans for the day reacquainted themselves with you.

You picked up your phone from its resting place next to your pillow. You had to double check your phone to make sure that everything wasn't your dreams playing a sick joke on you. To your relief, there it was in plain text, her message to you. You reread the message over and over, still attempting to force your mind to accept the reality of it all.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated in your hands as the ringtone for your best friend sounded loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Startled by the unexpected call, your hands shook as you answered the call.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, (Your Name)! I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the arcade with me. Today's the grand opening of their new game, Technika 3! It's supposed to be similar to DDR," she said excitedly.

"I would but I can't today," you responded. While that did sound like it would be great, you had more important plans to attend to. "I kinda already have plans." 

"More cheerleading stuff?" she asked, annoyed.

"No. Not this time," you said as you continued to leave her in suspense.

"Then what? This game is going to be wicked awesome, and you're going to miss it? What's so important?" she huffed.

"A date...of sorts. I'm going out with Amber tonight. Though, I'm pretty sure it's just as friends but--"

A loud squeal reverberated in the phone creating a ringing sensation in your ear as your best friend cut you off before you could finish. Multiple subsequent squeals followed resulting in you holding your phone away from your ear to protect whatever hearing still remained. At her reaction, you didn't know which one of you were happier about your current situation.

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod!" Her voice upped in pitch and speed as the words all merged together. "Why didn't you tell me? When did this happen? Where are you going? What are you going to wear? Do you even have anything suitable to wear? Do you need to borrow one of my outfits? I need details!"

Your brain struggled to follow every single question thrown at you as she spoke a mile a minute. You always wondered how she managed to never need to breathe when she spoke. As all of her words finally sunk in, you cleared your throat as you began to answer the barrage of questions thrown at you.

"I didn't tell you because you were already asleep when it happened. It happened last night after she left," you paused as you heard a gasp on the other end. 

Before she even had the chance to bombard you again, you reassured her that you would explain that later. Her end of the conversation fell silent so you took the chance to continue. 

"Now, where was I? Oh. Yeah. She invited me to go bowling with her. I know. I know. Before you even say it, I remember how much I suck at bowling." 

She giggled over the other end of the phone as she recalled the middle school trip. You two had been paired up on a team with some students from another class thanks to overflowing lanes. Although you were nervous about playing with unfamiliar people, they seemed friendly enough. 

The beginning of the game went well. You were actually doing quite well. As you prepared to roll the bowling ball down the lane, you felt your feet slip underneath you. You fell forward, your chin hitting the slippery floor. The ball, still clinging to your fingers, dragged you down the lane and into the pins. 

Your best friend screamed out and ran down the lane after you. Unable to keep her footing, she followed you down the lane and crashed into you. Waves of laughter echoed through the bowling alley as a dark crimson rose up onto both of your cheeks. For the rest of the year, you were both known as the strikeout twins. While you two found it unamusing then, you both could think back and laugh about it now.

"You haven't been bowling since that time. I'm surprised you accepted the invitation. Then again, this is Amber we're talking about. You would have to be stupid to deny her."

"Yeah. I mean, I couldn't exactly say no. Especially after she saved me from Nick last night. It was pretty cool actually." 

You explained to her the entire situation starting at the football game and ending at her leaving early last night. She sat quietly as she listened to the entire story. 

Once you had finished, she responded, "Wow. That creep needs to get a life. What does a pretty boy like him want with a geek like you anyway?" 

You know she wasn't trying to be offensive but your eyes squinted as you sighed. "Wow, (Best Friend's Name). Thanks for the self esteem boost," you said sarcastically. 

"Well, it's true! This isn't some corny romance movie or a fanfiction. That stuff doesn't happen in real life. He's up to something." 

As much as you didn't want to admit it, she was right. He always had an air about him that you just didn't like. It was flattering when he asked you out the first few times but after multiple rejections, he should have given up by now. There had to be some strange reason why he was so pushy.

"Anyway," you said shaking your head, "enough about him. You should come over and help me decide on what to wear. She said to wear something for glow bowling. You're big into raves so I'm pretty sure you can help me come up with something. The outfit I picked out probably sucks now that I think about it."

"Actually, I have the perfect outfit for you! You'll love it! I'll be there in a bit. Let me get my lazy brother to get out of bed and bring me."

"Okay. Tell him I have food with his name on it," you said. You knew he couldn't resist the bribe.

"Well, he'll definitely get up now," she laughed. "See you in a bit. Bye!" 

After saying good bye, you hung up the phone and fell back onto the bed. Part of you was scared about what your best friend had in mind. While her outfits always looked amazing, they were a bit outlandish. You didn't know what to expect from her. She frequented raves with her older brother, but you never went in fear of cops showing up. As your thoughts drifted on, you found yourself falling back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"(Your Name)! Wake up!" 

You opened your eyes slowly and jumped as your best friend's face was mere inches from your own. Your heart thumped loudly in your chest as you took in deep breaths. 

"Dammit," you said between breaths as you gripped your chest. "Don't do that."

"Well, then wake up next time. Now, let me see what's in your closet." 

She examined the outfit you had laid out on your dresser and shook her head. Just as you thought, she definitely did not approve of your choice. She shifted through all of your clothes and sighed. She turned back towards you and set her bag down on your bed.

Still groggy and irritated by how you were woken up, you watched her pull a neon rainbow skirt from the bag. Following it was a matching neon netted top and a pair of fuzzy leg warmers. You sat there slowly becoming more nervous every time she pulled out another item. 

"There. Put this on. I know your chest is bigger than mine but the shirt should fit just fine," she said as she smiled.

You picked up the net shirt with a perplexed look on your face. "Umm...this is pretty revealing..."

"You wear a white tank top under it, silly. Jeez. I'm not a stripper," she said with fake offense in her tone.

"Could've fooled me," you muttered under your breath as you examined the shirt in your hands.

This whole dating thing was new to you. You also weren't even sure if it was a date, though most of you was hoping that it was. Even so, would this outfit even be okay? Wasn't it a bit outlandish, even for you? What would Amber say when she saw it? What was she even wearing to this event?

"I don't know how I feel about this. What if she thinks my outfit is stupid?" you asked shyly as you looked down.

Your best friend picked up your phone and swiped the screen. She began to look through it and her eyes widened for a brief moment before she smiled. She held the phone out in front of her and began making faces at it. Clicking sounded as she took photo after photo of herself. 

"Well, you never know until you try. Now, put it on for me. I wanna see," she paused. "Wow. Your camera is so much better than mine."

You stared at her as she constantly changed the angle of her face and took more pictures. You sighed and reluctantly stripped down and slipped on this new outfit she had provided for you. Once you placed the netted tip over your shirt, you blushed. It was very tight across your chest and only served to make them look bigger. 

"This is really tight, (Your Best Friend's Name). How do you wear this thing?" 

You pulled down on it in hopes that it would stretch a slight bit more but to no avail. It looked like you were just going to have to deal with the fact it was uncomfortable. You looked up over at your friend who was smiling devilishly to herself. Okay. No one smiles like that from staring at their own reflection. 

"What are you so happy about? Are you enjoying my suffering?" You plopped back down on the edge of your bed as she turned off the screen and handed you your phone back.

"There you go. Thanks. I sent the pictures over so I'm just waiting for a response now." She hummed to herself as she pranced around the room.

"Did you use my phone to send pictures of yourself to that guy again? What was his name again? The weird guy from overseas?" You asked. You wouldn't be surprised. In order to hide her relationship from her parents, she would always use your phone for picture sending. 

"Oh, no. Not this time." Your phone beeped and vibrated saying you had a new message. "Well, what did she say?" 

"She? I didn't know you went that way," you said, a bit confused. Your friend was straighter than a perfectly drawn line. 

"I don't," she started. You didn't like where this was going. "But you do."

As you looked down at the notification on your screen, your face went pale as the gravity of what she had done sunk in. She wasn't taking pictures of herself. She was taking pictures of you and had sent them to Amber! You quickly opened the message to see what damage had been done. As you read the reply to the pictures, your heart skipped a beat. 

"Wow. That looks awesome! I'm so glad that you're going all out for this. I'll definitely have to wear something amazing to match you!" you read as your mouth fell open.

Your phone slipped through your clammy fingers and you managed to catch it right before it hit the floor like a ninja. Your eyes shifted over at your friend as you gave her the dirtiest look you could imagine. How could she do that to you? Then again, it seemed like Amber at least liked the outfit so that was a good thing.

“Oh, stop sitting there and looking at me like that. You know I only do things like that because I love you, and I’m trying to give you a little push in the right direction,” she said as she wrapped her arm around your shoulders.

A sigh left your body. “If you say so,” you responded in a quiet voice.

“Good!” she shouted loudly next to your head. “Now, it’s time for your makeup!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Muffled music sounded behind the glass doors leading into the bowling alley. As you pulled them open, a rush of cold air and loud music fitting a club hit you like a tidal wave. After your refusal to return after the incident, you missed out on the glow parties thrown in the past. You didn't know what to expect. Catching you off guard, neon flashed before you as people walked around the place underneath the black lights. 

“Hey! Over here!” a muffled voice called out to you from the counter.

You looked over noticing Amber waving at you and standing opposite of the cashier. Instinctively you raised your hand and waved back. As you walked over to her, your eyes scanned her outfit. White ripped shorts accented her muscular legs while a neon green shirt peeked out underneath a white, half sleeve jacket. Black fingerless gloves set off the rest of the look, and you couldn’t get over how cool she looked right now.

“I’m glad you could make it,” she smiled. “I am seriously digging that outfit of yours. It forced me to come up with something all neon and cool.” 

Amber laughed and asked you what size shoes you wore. You told her the size, and she reiterated it to the cashier who immediately pulled your size off the small shelves behind her. Amber handed you your bowling shoes and motioned for you to follow her to the lane she had reserved. You both passed crowds of people cheering for one another and you couldn’t help but smile. The atmosphere was very cheerful, and it was easy to see that everyone was having a great time.

You sat down at the table in front of the screen and switched out your shoes as Amber began to type in the name she wanted to represent herself. The word “llama” popped up on the large screen above you two, and you couldn’t help but giggle. While you didn’t really agree with the nickname, some of the girls did call her the llama of the school. She embraced the nickname and even went on to say that she really did look like a llama. Well, if she was a llama, she was at least the cutest llama you had ever seen. 

“Hmm…” 

Amber turned around and looked over at you as you finished tying your laces. She quickly turned back to the screen and entered in a name for you. Before you had the choice to comment on her choice, the word “butterfly” popped up on the screen underneath her name. Your eyes widened as you read the name. What could that mean? Was she calling you pretty?

"I hope you like the name that I chose for you. I figured I would find an animal that you reminded me of since my nickname is an animal," she said casually as she picked up a bowling ball from the rack behind you. 

"Umm...yeah. I like it. Butterflies are very pretty," you stammered.

She lifted the ball and held it parallel with her shoulder, "That's exactly why I picked the name. Well, that and you're colorful like one today."

As she flashed you her signature smile, you felt a wave rush over you with the strength to knock you off your feet if you had been standing. You were so lucky to be on this date. Here you were, on a "date" with the most beautiful girl in school, and she basically just called you pretty. You rode this high through the first game. Even though most of your balls landed in the gutter, you didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the time you two were getting to spend together.

Amber completely massacred you point wise. While her score was always in the triple digits, yours did well to be in the double digits. As you two entered the second game, she stopped you before you could take your turn. Standing behind you, she wrapped her arms around you and shifted your position. 

"Your posture is way off here. You need to bend your knees properly."

The light brush of her fingertips across your skin and the warmth from her breath on the back of your neck made goosebumps rise up on your skin. The beating of your heart echoed in your head as she helped you roll the ball down the lane. To your surprise, it managed to hit some of the pins leaving only a couple standing. 

"See? You should do just fine now that you have the correct posture." 

She pulled her arms from you and stepped back. Your mind silently whined as she did so. You were greatly enjoying Amber's touch even if it was brief. You walked over to pick your ball back up from the shoot when Amber asked if you wanted anything from the snack bar. 

Come to think of it, you really didn't eat much today. You were too concerned with other things to worry yourself with something as trivial as eating a large meal. After a quick thought, you asked for some nachos and an ICEE. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet as she sauntered off into the darkness of the place. 

Grasping your ball in your hands, you were now determined to score a spare. It would be a first for the night for you but you knew you could do it. You just had to remember what Amber just taught you. You could do this. You had faith in yourself. 

Positioning your body like before, you pulled back your arm. Just as the ball was about to leave your hand, you felt another one touch your shoulder. The ball fell from your hand and rolled down the lane as you jumped up in surprise. Turning around, you noticed a familiar face that you really did not want to see. What in the world was he doing here?

"Well, well. We just keep running into each other, don't we?" A smile crept across his face. "Also, congrats on the spare."

"Yeah, Nick. Kinda weird that we both decided to go bowling tonight," you said with a forced smile.

As you moved past him to return to your seat at the table, his hand gripped your wrist. His grip was tight, and you couldn't even budge your arm. What was his deal? 

"Umm...that hurts," you said in a loud voice to resonate over the music.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to grab you so hard." His grip loosened around your wrist, but didn't completely leave.

You quickly snatched your hand back as more tension lifted. "Well, it was nice seeing you but if you don't mind, I'm a bit busy."

Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have been so forward with him but his tactics were becoming more and more creepy. You didn't have the time or patience to deal with his flirtation today. Today was supposed to be your day with Amber, damn it. You didn't need him getting in the way.

"Fine. I just wanted to say hi and make sure you remembered my offer for the best date of your life."

"I'm already on the best date of my life," you immediately responded before realizing the words that left your mouth.

Shit. This wasn't even a real date and yet here you were, spouting off the first thing your mouth thought was a great idea. What were you going to do now? The last thing you needed was him to find out about your feelings for Amber. You didn't need that getting out to the entire city.

He stood there completely speechless by your statement and unable to respond. In a daze, he walked away from you and returned to his group a couple of lanes down from yours. You watched him leave, thanking every entity you could think of for getting him to leave. Maybe your outburst wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe now he would finally leave you alone.

You plopped down in your seat and leaned back in the chair staring up at the ceiling. Neon lights flashed before you as electronic music blasted in sync with them. You foot tapped to the beat as you tried to hide your frustration. A cold, wet sensation touched your hand causing you to look down. Your ICEE was sitting right in front of you alongside a carefully placed plate of nachos.

"Wow. That guy really doesn't take the hint, does he?" Amber asked as she shook her head and took a seat next to you.

Taking a large sip of your drink, you mentally sighed and shook your head. Wait. Did Amber see everything that went on? Did she hear what you had said to him?

As you looked up over at her, she took a bite of her hamburger. "Yeah. As I was heading back, I saw him walk off and away from you. He seemed rather disappointed. You must have told him we were on a date together." She said the last part jokingly.

"I--I just made it clear that I wasn't interested in his promises for the 'best date ever'," you said as you skirted around Amber's last statement. Based on her reaction, you were right in your assumptions that this was just a fun outing for two friends and nothing more. While you found this to be disappointing, you were still happy for her company.

"Best date ever? Pfft. A pretty boy like that probably thinks that dinner followed by sex is a good date. He just gives me a bad vibe. Anyway, enough about him. Lets finish eating and finish our game. I see you got a spare. Trying to one me up now, are we?" She playfully pushed your shoulder as you giggled. 

Both of you finished off your food at a rapid pace, eager to return to your game. Amber took her turn and continued to make the game look effortless with her ability to score a strike or a spare almost every single time. You continued to be nowhere near as good as her, but you did notice that your change in posture made a large difference. Your ball stopped hugging the gutter like that one aunt at Christmas. You were finally scoring actual points.

The two of you laughed and joked with one another the entire time. You didn't even realize how much time had passed until the scoreboard froze and turned red in the middle of your turn. 

"Looks like that's it for us. Wow. Two hours went by so fast." She stretched and picked up all of the trash from the table.

"Time sure does fly when you're having fun," you said, disappointment in your tone.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she said over her shoulder as she threw away all of the garbage from the table. "Oh! Before we leave, we should take a picture together. We look too awesome not to!" 

"Umm...sure!" you said as you cheered on the inside. 

Both of you stood underneath one of the blacklights and smiled as Amber took the picture. After the camera snapped, she suggested making a weird face. She scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out while you crossed your eyes and puffed out your cheeks. Both of you burst into laughter as you looked at the final result. After she promised to send you copies, both of you returned your shoes and proceeded to exit the building. 

Unbeknownst to both of you, an angered teenage boy watched you two closely like a hawk. His face twisted into a scowl as you two laughed with one another. He couldn't believe that anyone would turn him down, but to turn him down for a woman? That was completely unheard of. He wasn't about to let you get away; not that easily. You would be his...whether you wanted to or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your patience and support! I apologize for the long wait, but I am pleased to present my newest chapter to you! I hope you all enjoy it! See you at the next update!


	7. Under the Stars

Warmth hit your body as you stepped outside and into the summer air. For once, it felt pleasant unlike its usual sweltering. You pulled your phone out of your bag only to realize that it had died while you two were bowling. 

"Oh no," you said as you held your head in defeat.

"What's wrong?" Amber asked, concerned.

"My phone died. I can't call my ride now. I don't know her new number off hand," you said in a quiet tone.

"I can always take you home," Amber suggested. 

Your eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure?" 

"Of course I'm sure. Come on." She motioned for you to follow which you happily obliged. 

Yay! This meant more time with Amber in a place that was a bit quieter. You could actually ask some questions that you had been curious about for some time now. You weren’t quite sure how you were going to fit them into the conversation, but you two had a decent drive back so you would definitely have the time.

She unlocked and opened the door, holding it open so you could situate yourself into the passenger seat. You leaned back into the seat as she closed the door. Your eyes followed her as she walked across the front of the small, silver car and you entered deeper thought. You could feel your anxiety lessening the more you spent time with her. You took in a deep breath as she sat down next to you in the driver seat.

The car started and the radio clicked to life, blaring a song that was all too familiar to you. You instantly recognized the chorus as you’ve heard it a thousand time before. A sweet voice, unbefitting its owner, sang softly over a piano solo.

“You broke my heart. My whole world fell apart. Now, I'm empty. I've lost all my sanity. You took my trust, and let it turn to dust.Because of you, I’m filled with broken love."

As much as you hated Charlotte as a person, this song still made you tear up. For the sake of your date, you quickly turned your head and stared out the window. Amber reached over and turned the volume on the radio down. Wiping away even the slightest inkling of a tear, you turned back around in your seat and faced her.

An odd tension filled the car as she left the parking lot and both of you went quiet. Well, don't just sit there. Say something! Didn't you say that you had questions to ask her?

"So, do you have any siblings?" You finally asked after excruciating silence. 

"I have one, an older sister named Jackie. We pick on each other all the time, but I know she loves me." At the last sentence, she smiled. 

"I actually have an older brother. He lives with my dad though in South Korea. Dad got his dream job there so he moved a couple of years ago. I see them a couple of times a year during the holidays since that's when he and Mom both have free time," you responded.

"So, that means you live alone when your mom is gone?" Amber questioned. 

"Yep. It's been that way since Dad left. I got used to it. I'm given a food and shopping allowance so I do just fine on my own. Unfortunately, not having my own car becomes a pain. I have to do all of my shopping at the neighborhood market, and I can only get so much at a time."

"Well, next time you need to go, just let me know. I'll be happy to take you," she offered sincerely. 

"Oh, no. You don't have to go out of your way just for me," you stammered. 

"Nonsense. I wouldn't be going out of my way. You're my friend. It's what we do," she said joyfully.

Friend. There was that word again. It continued to bring you further down the more she said it. Mentally, you sighed to yourself. Oh well. At least you made it to the friend stage. That had to amount to something, right? 

Changing the subject to save your sanity, you said, "So, I know this is going to sound weird, but I have a question for you."

"I love weird questions. Shoot," she responded. 

"Well, umm..." your voice quivered as you searched for the right way to ask your question. 

Noticing your silence, Amber playfully tapped your shoulder. "Come on. Don't get all shy on me now. You can ask me anything."

You jumped in your seat as her outburst startled you. "Oh--okay. Well, I just wanted to know where you got your confidence from. I have times where I doubt myself so much that I give up. You never give up. I wish I knew the secret to your confidence."

Amber stared intently at the road in front of her and went completely silent. Oh no. Did you ask something a little bit too off the wall? Maybe she felt like you were just seeking pity by asking such an emotional question. Your mind raced with a million possibilities for Amber's newfound silence.

"Wow. I wasn't expecting a serious question like that. I was thinking you were going to ask something goofy." Her voice was low and serious, unlike her usual upbeat tone that you had grown accustomed to.

"I--I'm sorry, Amber," you stammered. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"It's fine. I just don't know how to explain it." She paused again, filling the car with suffocating silence. A stoic expression laid across her face before her eyes widened. An idea had formed inside her head. "Hey. Let's make a pitstop. I have somewhere I want to take you. If that's okay with you."

Unable to speak, you nodded your head and acknowledged her decision. You wondered where she could be taking you this late at night. It was already past nine and being on a Sunday, everything was pretty much shutting down for the night. She turned off the main road to your house and went down a side road. Houses blurred past the car as you two drove down a residential area you didn't recognize. 

Taking a sharp turn, she pulled into a small, quiet parking lot. Unbuckling your seat belts, both of you stepped out of the car. The cool breeze brushed against your cheeks as you surveyed your surroundings. 

A lone swingset stood in the middle of a large patch of grass. Under the moonlight, flowers graced the ground and released a sweet, floral scent. Large trees cradled a small pond in the center. The branches dipped into the water with each gentle push of the wind creating light ripples. 

"Wow. I didn't even know this place was here. It's gorgeous," you exclaimed as you took in the sight. 

"This place holds so many precious memories for me. Come take a seat with me on the swings, and I can answer your question," she motioned.

You nodded your head and followed her across the plush greenery. Pink and purple flowers brush across your legs as you walked past them. A smile crept across your face as both of you sat down in your respected seats. Creaking echoed through the park as your feet pushed lightly into the ground. 

"I'm not really as confident as everyone seems to think. I also have days where I doubt myself. I've always been different, and it wasn't until recently that I began to accept that part of me. I'm not a girly girl. I prefer guy's clothing because it makes me comfortable." 

She paused as she kicked off the ground and swung high into the air. Your eyes followed her and you caught up to her speed and swung in sync with her. Amber released her grip from the chains and slid out of her seat. Sticking a perfect landing, she looked back at you as you applauded her success. 

"I let go of that doubt. I cut my hair, started wearing what I wanted, and started doing what I wanted. My father was a bit concerned at first but thanks to my mom's constant support, he came around. They gave me the confidence that I now have. They supported my decision." Her chocolate eyes locked with yours as you slowed down to a stop. "Like that swing, you should let go of that doubt that you have. Stop being someone that you don't want to be, and just be yourself."

You fell silent and gripped the chains tighter. If you gave up on being a cheerleader, would Amber still want to be friends with you? It wasn't like you could tell her your real reason for joining the squad. It would make you look more pathetic than you felt. Besides, she obviously only saw you as a friend so confessing now would just end in rejection. 

"I can't. If I stop doing what I am right now, I'll lose someone important to me. I don't want to risk that," you said sadly, looking down at the dirt beneath your feet. 

Amber, not expecting your response, looked up at the stars in the sky. She understood what it was like to do something for someone else. It was a hard and painful journey that only ended in sadness. A sigh left her chest as she turned her attention back to you.

"(Your Name), you can't let someone hold you back from being who you are. You need to embrace yourself, not shy away from her. If they leave because you aren't who they thought you were, then it just isn't meant to be," she said in a concerned tone. 

Your eyes remained planted on your shoes as you slowly rocked back and forth on the swing. You knew that she meant well with what she was saying, but she didn't understand. If only she knew the truth behind all of this. One day you would gain the courage to tell her but not today.

“Can we talk about something else?” you asked softly. 

“Sure. Sorry for changing the mood so much.” 

Amber plopped back down into her seat and leaned her head back to stare back up at the sky. She wanted to delve more into the subject but seeing how uncomfortable it made you, she decided to let it go. Maybe one day you would open up to her about it. 

“So, anything else you want to ask me?” She turned her head to look at you. 

Lifting your head from its downward position, you two locked eyes. A light blush crept up on your face as you broke the contact. There were other things you wanted to ask. Unfortunately, your brain decided to turn off at the moment so your mouth decided to run against your will. 

“Do you have someone that you like right now?” 

As soon as those words left your mouth, your face went white. Why? Why did you have to ask that question of all questions? Your head fell in defeat. You really didn't want to know the answer to that question.

“You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?” she laughed. “I do have someone that I like. I am unsure about her feelings for me, but the least I can do is try. Ever since I met her last year, she's been constantly on my mind. I'm happy that she even knows that I exist.”

As much as it pained you to hear that, you couldn't help but think how sweet that was of her. You understood exactly how she felt. You were in the same boat that she was in. 

“Well, what about you?” she asked, prying. 

“Me? Umm...yeah...there is someone. I don't think they have any interest in me though,” you replied shyly.

“Is that why you joined the cheer team? Was it for one of the boys on the football team? I saw how enthusiastically you cheered for them Friday,” she joked.

Your face twisted as you stuck your tongue out. “Eww. Those dumbasses are not even kind of my type.”

Amber bent over holding her midsection as she laughed. Tears streamed down her face as more and more laughter echoed through the trees. She stood up straight and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“You amaze me. You really do. That was great. Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way.” Looking down at her wrist, she checked the time. “It's really late. I should really get you home. I do have a math test tomorrow to study a little bit for.”

“Okay,” you nodded.

You hopped off of the swing and trudged through the grass back to the car. As both of you sat into your seats, Amber paused and looked at you. Her face was inquisitive. She looked like she wanted to ask you something but didn't know how to.

Both of you sat in silence as Amber drove you the rest of the way home. As she pulled into the driveway, she asked, “Hey. So, we're having a party after our first game. I would like for you to be there.” 

“Already planning a victory party?” you asked jokingly.

“No. It's my birthday that day. I'd like you to be there. We are friends, aren't we?” 

Amber parked the car and turned to look at you. She smiled cheekily as you quickly nodded your head and told her that you would definitely be at her party. As she stretched and gave out a yawn, you took that as your cue to step out of the car. Both of you said your goodbyes and waved to one another. You stepped into the house and watched her back out of the driveway. 

As soon as her car disappeared from sight you said to yourself, “That went well, I think. She invited me to her birthday party. That's a great development for me. I'll have to get her a present. I wonder when it is though? She said the day of the first girl's basketball game.”

Your voice trailed off as you hopped up the stairs and entered your bedroom. Closing the door, you looked at the calendar on the back of it. You marked through today and scanned the dates for the girl's game. You didn't have to go far before your finger stopped on the date.

A panicked expression took over your face as you read the date. "The 18th? The game is only in a few days?! I have to find her a gift between now and then. What am I going to do?"


	8. Rainbows and Alpacas...?

"Hey stranger!" your best friend called out to you at the end of classes.

You turned around and glanced at her from over your shoulder. Waving your hand, you put on a fake smile. You hadn't slept at all the night before, and you still hadn't come up with a gift for Amber. Instead of asking embarrassing questions, your mind should have thought of something useful to your current predicament. You had until Friday to come up with something, anything, that she would enjoy.

Your best friend immediately saw through your facade of happiness and bolted towards you with determination in her eyes. You stepped back as the look on her face frightened you a little. It had been a long time since you had seen her this fired up over something. As she stood in front of you, she pressed her nose to yours and looked you dead in the eyes.

"What's wrong? What happened? Why didn't you call me for a ride home last night?" she asked almost hysterically.

Your cheeks went flush as nearby students turned around and stared at the two of you. Pulling your face from hers, you grabbed her hand and dragged her behind the gymnasium. Quickly looking side to side, you soon realized that you two were alone. A sigh left your chest as you looked up at the fiery girl in front of you. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and her eyes told you that she wasn't budging until you gave her answers.

"Okay. I didn't call you last night because my phone died, and Amber was nice enough to give me a ride home. We had a very awkward conversation in a park which ended with her taking me home and inviting me to her birthday party on Friday," you said as you placed a finger to her lips to keep her quiet until you were finished.

The moment you removed your index finger, she jumped up and down excitedly. "Oh my God! That's good, right? Then why are you so down?"

"Well, for starters, she has someone that she loves that isn't me. I'm glad to just be friends with her, but that doesn't stop the pain of knowing that she doesn't return my feelings." A pained expression formed on your face as a lone tear trickled down your cheek.

"Aww...sweetie..."

Your best friend reached up and wiped the tear away. Pulling forward, she wrapped her arms around you and pulled you into a tight hug. Unable to stop them from falling anymore, more tears escaped their watery prison and drenched your friend's shoulder. Her hands rubbed your back tenderly as you returned the embrace.

"Hey." She pulled back from you and placed her hands on your shoulders. "Just because she likes someone else doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. You're charming and super cute. You can easily steal her away from anybody. Now, cheer up! You've got this!"

A smile broke through the tears still streaming down your face. You had to hand it to her. No matter what weird emotional moments you had, she was always there for you. She always had this knack at making you feel better no matter how much you wanted to just be left alone.

Wiping away the remaining tears, you said with regained confidence, "You know what? You're right. I knew that I had slim chances when I joined the cheer team. I can't let this bring me down. I have to keep trying."

She patted you on the back. "There we go! That's the determined girl that I know! Now, I'm pretty sure you need some help picking out a gift, right? Let's go do some shopping!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on, (Your Best Friend's Name). We've been shopping for hours and have found nothing that just screams out 'Amber'. Let's just be done for the night," you complained as your feet started to throb.

"One more store. Since we're at the mall anyway, we should stop by TooKawaii. They stated that they have new stock in, and you know I need a new plushie for my collection," she giggled.

Defeated, you just nodded your head and followed behind her. Her brother was long gone in the world of the arcade playing the newest Tekken game and had left the two of you alone to shop to your heart's content. He would happily stay there all night if they would let him. Part of you wished that closing time was already upon you two so you could leave.

Korean pop music flooded out of the store located at the end of the mall. Large Hello Kitty plushies filled the display windows and beckoned at you to buy them with their smiling faces. Well, what you assumed were smiling faces since Hello Kitty didn't normally have a mouth to display emotion.

An older woman behind the counter greeted you. Your best friend walked up to her and gave her a hug. She was a regular and never left the store without buying something. She was very well known and always managed to get a discount.

"You must be here about our newest shipment. You're going to love these. We imported them directly from Japan," the lady said as she smiled brightly.

She reached underneath the counter and pulled out a large box. Pulling the flaps open, she reached inside and pulled out a small stuffed animal. The animal was pastel pink with curly fur. A small bow sat on top of its head that matched the shawl across its back. It was an alpaca plushie.

Your best friend gushed over the animal and shot you a quick glance. Smiling that devilish smile of hers she asked, "Is pink the only color?"

"No. We have multiple colors."

Reaching into the box again, she pulled out more alpacas. She set down one that was yellow, one that was orange, one that was purple, and one that was light blue. It was like a rainbow of pastel alpacas across the counter top.

"Which color do you think she would like?" she asked you.

"I...I don't know. I mean, I don't really know what color she likes the most..." you trailed off.

"I'll get one in every color then if you can't pick one."

"But...I don't--"

She cut you off. "Well, then we'll have to get her one in every color then."

"No. Don't do that. That would be way too excessive. Umm..." You glanced over each of them but finally decided on the purple one.

"Good. I'll get one of each and then an extra purple one for my friend."

She smiled as your mouth dropped open. It was amazing how many of these things your friend already had and here she was buying even more. As you reached into your pocket, she shook her head and told you to save your money for a date. Rosy color filled your cheeks as the thought of another date with Amber crossed you mind.

"Alrighty then. That's it. Enjoy your new plushies!" the saleswoman said. "And good luck on your date!"

She waved to both of you as your friend pulled you by the arm out of the store. You stood in a daze that you quickly snapped out of when the smell of the food court hit you. Growling in anticipation of being fed, your stomach coerced you into walking up to the Chinese food stall. The sweet aroma of coconut shrimp and orange chicken overpowered your nose as you stood in front of the window.

The guy behind the counter already started working on your order before you even had the chance to tell him what you wanted. As many times as you had been here, it wasn't a surprise. You always ordered the same thing and tipped him well for remembering.

"(Your Name), your order is ready. That will be $10.85," Mark said.

You reached into your pocket to retrieve your wallet when you caught a glimpse of a hand in your peripheral vision. Looking up confused, your eyes met with familiar ones. Great. Way to ruin your good mood.

"Hi, Nick. I can pay for my food myself, you know," you said in a forced pleasant tone.

"But it's a pleasure to buy a meal for the most beautiful girl that I know," he turned back to the cashier. "Please charge both of their meals to my card."

Mark looked over at you for reassurance. You hung your head and waved your hand for him to just go ahead and let him pay for it. Your best friend bent down and whispered in your ear if she should say something. You shook your head. The last thing you needed was more conflict.

"Here you go, girls," Nick said happily as he handed you your meals.

"Umm...thanks," you said. "It was nice seeing you."

Both of you sat down at a nearby table which he followed you to. He pulled up a nearby chair and straddled it backwards. You all sat in awkward silence as tension built. What should you say to him? He made it clear that he wasn't going to leave, and from past experience, you knew you couldn't convince him to leave.

Your friend, noticing the awkward silence, spoke up. "So, Nick, what brings you to the mall today?"

"I was doing some shopping for a friend of mine. They have a birthday coming up soon, and I was searching for the perfect gift." He paused. "What about you girls? I see you were shopping at that cutesy shop around the corner. Any special reason?" he asked prying.

"A friend of mine is also having a birthday soon. I was making sure I got her something special," you said biting down on your lower lip nervously.

"Oh, I see. Well, you know, my homecoming dance is coming up this Saturday. I would love to take you as my date. Every guy there would be jealous," he said flashing you his perfect smile.

"I--" you started but your friend cut you off.

"She can't. She promised me that she would go out of town with me this weekend. There's a big geek convention going on, and I need the Sailor Uranus to my Neptune. Right, (Your Name)?"

Giving her a look that screamed 'thank you', you nodded your head. His smile disappeared from his face, immediately replaced by a scowl. Clenching his fists at his sides, he took in a deep breath. A twisted smile reformed across his face that gave you chills.

"Is that so? Well, that's too bad. I think your school's homecoming is in a couple of weeks. I could always accompany you then. Unless, of course, you already have a date," he said in a shaky voice.

"I'm not going to my homecoming dance, and even if I was, I already have a date lined up," your mouth blurted out before you could think.

Blood rushed to Nick's face, turning it red with anger. He was reaching his breaking point with your excessive denial of his date requests. His fist slammed down on the table almost knocking your food to the floor. Panic filled your eyes as you flinched.

His scowl receded back from which it came. "Sorry. There was a fly on the table." Looking down at his phone, he stood up. "Time for me to go. I'm going to see about hitting up a couple of extra hours at work. You two have a good night and enjoy your food."

You and your friend told him goodbye and watched him leave. Once he was completely out of sight, you released the breath you had been holding in. You grasped your chest in your hand and felt your quickened heartbeat still pumping away.

"What is with him? Why can't he just take no for an answer?" she said as she took a bite of her chicken.

"I think he's even more upset because he saw me with Amber last night." You fumbled around with your chopsticks; still shook up by Nick's actions.

"But both of you are girls. It's not like people around here have a lesbian alert going off."

"I may have mentioned to him about already being on a date. I wasn't thinking straight when I said it. My mouth has started to become my enemy lately."

You placed your chopsticks on the top of your styrofoam box and picked up your spoon. Your hands weren't steady enough for them right now. You finally took a bite of your rice and relished in how great it tasted.

"Or maybe, you're just sick and tired of always being so passive. You actually telling people how you feel isn't a bad thing. I'm proud of you even if you did cause that stalker to almost break the table in half," she said between bites.

Maybe she was right. Being more open about how you felt wasn't a bad thing. Maybe if you just flat out told him that you weren't interested in guys he would finally leave you alone and find some other poor girl to harass. Then again, he could also escalate and become more of a problem.

You shook your head to rid yourself of those thoughts. You would deal with him when the time came. Right now, you had more important people to worry about. You had to make it through the rest of the week and hope that on Friday, Amber accepted your gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the support! I couldn't write this story without y'all!
> 
> Your best friend is an amazing person that helps you through everything. I didn't give her a name because every best friend is different. So, my question for everyone is: who is your best friend, and how did y'all meet?
> 
> See y'all at the next update! :3


	9. A New Enemy?

Sparkling uniforms shimmered in the light of the gymnasium as girls carrying pompoms stood in the center of the basketball court. Loud cheers echoed as they jumped and twirled in the air. Applause from the boys in the bleachers almost drowned out the around of the perfectly choreographed cheers. A large smile dominated the soft features of your face as you felt everyone's eyes, including Amber's, on you.

The crowd roared with applause as you and Alex lifted a girl into the and tossed her. She spun around multiple times before landing safely in your arms. You two set her down gently as the song ended. Everyone stood and applauded as you all bowed and skipped off of the court to make way for the band.

You sat down on the bottom bleacher next to Alex and took a sip of your water. Your heart was racing in your chest. Cheering was harder than it looked, but it was exhilarating. Plus, it gave you the best seat in the house when watching Amber rush down the court with sparkling sweat trapped in her brow. 

Her face when she played mesmerized you. She seemed determined yet happy at the same time. She gave off an energy that was addicting and hard to ignore. It kept the spectators lively and wanting more.

A chuckle sounded in your ears causing you to turn sharply. Alex sipped at his water and looked away to not make eye contact. You playfully pushed at his shoulders almost making him choke on his water. 

“Hey. Watch it. I could have died over here,” he said with a lighthearted smile.

“Oh. You're overreacting. Stop laughing at me and maybe I won't push you,” you replied with a smirk.

“Well, excuse me, Princess. I'm not the one ogling the captain now, am I?” he snickered. 

Your cheeks turned rosy as you adverted your eyes. “Is it that obvious?”

“Completely,” he said bluntly.

“Oh no,” you said as you brought your hands up to cradle your heated face.

“It's fine. I don't really think anyone has noticed. For all they know, you're just intently watching the game unlike every other cheerleader here who could care less. The principal is probably overjoyed that someone is actually showing an interest,” he said as he stared down at his perfectly manicured nails.

“I suppose you're right. It's not like I scream lesbian or anything,” you sighed. 

The buzzer sounded as the faint sound of a basketball swishing through the net captured your attention. Standing with her hands in the air was Amber who had just made the winning goal. Everyone jumped out of their seats as cheering roared through the entire gymnasium. She did it! She had managed to bring the game back into the home team's favor and won.

Players from the opposing team frowned at their loss. Amber walked up to each and every one of them congratulating them on a good game. Their frowns quickly dissipated only to be replaced by large smiles. Amber shook each girl's hand before waving good bye to them. You were captivated by her kindness. She was definitely one of a kind.

The other cheerleaders conversed amongst themselves, discussing their after game plans. Most of them were heading over to Samantha, the cheer captain’s house for a slumber party. You had been invited like all of the other girls, but you politely declined saying that you had other plans. They just shrugged and accepted it. You were the loner who didn't quite fit their cliche, but they didn't care. As long as you cheered well enough to help them make the championships this year, they would continue to ignore your strangeness. 

You excused yourself from the group as you grabbed your bag and walked to the locker room. As you pushed the door open, you peeked your head inside. To your surprise, it was empty. Pushing the heavy door completely open, you entered the room and skipped over to your locker. A smile was plastered on your face as you turned the dial on your padlock. 

As it clicked open, you lifted the latch and stared at the small bag decorated in a rainbow of colors. You could barely contain your excitement and anxiety. You really wanted Amber to like her gift, but would she? 

Stripping away the suffocating uniform, you tossed it into your gym bag. All you needed was a good shower, and you would be ready to go. Luckily, it appeared that you had the showers to yourself for the time being. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about running out of hot water like the last time.

You shuffled around your gym bag and finally grasped your shower bag in your hand. Stripping off the remaining of your clothes, you tossed them in the bag with your uniform. You wrapped yourself tightly in your towel and stepped across the cold floor to the showers. Setting the towel to the side, you turned the knob and was instantly pelted with cold water. A small yelp escaped your mouth as you shivered under the icy torrent.

The water turned warmer and steam billowed around you. You stepped fully into the stream as the water rushed over your entire body. Closing your eyes, you immersed yourself into your own world thinking about the party ahead. What would it be like? Would you two have the chance to be alone so you could give her the gift?

The door clicked closed as someone entered the locker room. Soft footsteps tapped against the concrete floors. You picked up the faint sound of rustling but ignored it as you enjoyed the warm water. A hand touched your shoulder making your eyes bolt open and body jump.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was making sure you didn't fall asleep standing there,” Amber said.

Your head turned and your face went flush as soon as your eyes made contact with her body. There she was, just standing there without a care in the world and her towel slung over her shoulder. You quickly adverted your eyes before they began wandering too much. As much as you wanted to look, you didn't want to noticeably stare. 

The water faucet next to you sprung to life as Amber turned their knob. She placed her head underneath the water and drenched her hair before squirting shampoo in her hands. You quickly followed suit, washing your own hair. Your heart thumped wildly in your chest as you casually peaked over in her direction.

The steam wrapped around her naked body caressing every curve. Her wet skin shimmered underneath the dim lighting of the locker room. You swallowed hard as you watched her, unable to look away. Watching the soap slide down her petite body, your eyes followed. A glimpse of her head turning towards you made your head jerk away from her direction. 

A soft chuckle echoed from her as she looked over at you with kind eyes. “You know, you don't have to be so embarrassed. We're both girls. You can look at me. It's perfectly normal for girls to compare themselves with each other. I mean, I'm a bit jealous of your chest size.”

Without even thinking, you looked down at your breasts and back over to hers. There was a difference in size that was now more apparent to you. You were actually surprised by her size. You expected them to be smaller, but that could have just been an illusion from the baggy clothes she wore all of the time.

“Y--you shouldn't be jealous. I think yours look just fine,” you stammered as you gripped your loofah tighter in your hands.

Amber let out a hearty laugh as a shocked look took over her face. “Well, thank you, (Your Name). I'm glad you like them.”

Too flustered to continue talking, you covered the loofah in soap and proceeded to wash the sweat from your body. A sweet aroma filled the steamy air as you washed. Thanks to advice from your best friend, you chose a soap with a honeysuckle scent. It was sweet but not overpowering and would linger longer than normal soap.

After rinsing off your body you turned off the water and wrung out your hair. Water droplets fell to the drenched floor creating ripples among the puddle. Wrapping the towel around your body, you stuffed your shower stuff back in its bag. The water from Amber's faucet shut off as you walked past her. 

“Hey!” she called out to you as she wrapped her own towel around her body. 

“Yes?” you replied without turning around in an attempt to hide your crimson cheeks.

“You're still coming to the party today, right?” she asked as she walked up behind you.

“Sure am!” You bit down on your lower lip nervously.

“That’s good. I was scared you might back out on me.” You felt her warm hand pressed against your shoulder. “I thought you may have decided to finally give that loser a chance.”

As her laugh filled your ears, your eyes narrowed. Turning to face her, you placed your index finger on the tip of her nose and poked it. How could she even say something that absurd, even as a joke? She didn't even know the half of how much you were starting to dislike the guy. 

“Pfft. He has no chance in this world, and he knows it. He’d be better off trying to date you than me,” you said with a smirk as you skipped off to your locker.

A scowl formed on Amber's face. “Yeah. Whatever. He couldn't handle all of this awesomeness.”

“No one can handle all of your awesomeness, Amber,” you giggled.

Your nervousness faded as both of you laughed together. Slowly, you were becoming more comfortable around her which was a relief. You wanted to know more about who Amber really was, and you enjoyed every second you two spent together. 

As the two of you dried off and started dressing, Amber peaked over your way and noticed a ribbon sticking out of the bottom of your locker. Her lips curled as she smirked in your direction. As you slipped your shirt over your head, you glanced over as you felt eyes on you. Your brow furrowed as you examined the look on her face.

“What's that look for? It's a bit creepy,” you said.

“You got me gift, didn't you?” she asked in a teasing tone.

Panic filled your eyes as you laughed nervously. “What? A gift? What gift? I have no clue what you're talking about!”

“Sure you don't,” she replied sarcastically. “That's why you have ribbon hanging out of your locker.”

Your head jerked to the side glancing at your locker. Shit. There it was. A bright blue ribbon sticking out of the bottom of your locker from the bow. It must have fallen as you closed the door. Okay, think. Think of an excuse and quick!

“Oh. Well, you see, that's just one of my cheerleading hair bows. I know blue isn't one of our colors, but I like the color blue and it was on sale so I bought one. That's all that is.” Your voice caught in your throat as the last word left your lips. Would she believe you? You were a pretty bad liar so she probably saw past your failed attempt at a facade. Especially with the borderline stuttering you had going on.

Amber stood there completely speechless as she stared at you. The look on her face revealed that she didn't completely believe you. Your heartbeat quickened as you two stood in a locked silence. After agonizing moments that felt like a lifetime, she spoke up.

“Okay. If you say so,” she shrugged. 

You released the breath you had been holding the entire time. Good. It looked like Amber believed your story. You weren't pleased with the idea of having to lie to her, but you had to wait until after the party to give it to her. You wanted her to be genuinely surprised and happy by the gift.

“Hey! I'm going to meet up with the other girls to figure out the details for the party. Meet me at my car? I'm in the south parking lot.” She slung her gym bag over her shoulder as she slipped into her favorite pair of Jordans. 

“Oh. Yeah. I'll be there soon! I just need to finish with my hair,” you called out over your shoulder as you continued your loose braid.

Amber flicked her wrist in a quick wave before departing the locker room. Once you caught the clicking of the door closing, you opened the locker door and removed the bag with one hand to set it on the floor. You stared into the mirror in the back of your locker and tied off the end of your braid with the ribbon from the bag. It wasn't the cutest hairstyle that you could pull off, but it was quick and would be great at helping to cover your lie. Luckily for you, it just so happened to match your outfit of choice for the day.

You zipped up your gym bag and set it on the bench next to you. The gift bag crinkled as your leg brushed against it. You lifted it from the floor and stuffed it gently into your backpack between your calculus book and your homework. There. Now it was hidden just in case. Amber wouldn't think to look under the mountain of homework that Professor Satan had assigned over this weekend.

You struggled as you repositioned the weight of the heavy bags onto your body. Waddling past the lockers you reached the door already out of breath. Okay, (Your Name). You've got this. Do it for Amber! After your miniature pep talk, you regained your strength and pushed forward. The door opened as you reached for it and a group of female basketball players entered the locker room. 

A girl with short, curly auburn hair stopped in front of you. A large smile stretched from ear to ear flashing her braces. “Hi! You must be Amber's new friend. You're on the cheerleading squad right?”

You nodded and leaned against the wall for support. This girl's entrance completely threw off your psyche, and you remembered just how heavy your bags were. Shifting the weight to your left side, your back felt the instant relief of pressure. 

“That looks heavy. Would you want some help with that?” she asked in a perky tone that was almost creepy.

“Are you sure? It's pretty heavy,” you asked cautiously. 

“Of course I'm sure!” she said excitedly. “Anything for a friend of Amber's.”

“Umm...okay. Here.” You removed the large gym bag from your shoulder and handed it to her.

She took the bag from your hands and lifted it one handed with ease. Shock befell your face as you watched accomplish this impossible feat. There was no way someone that small framed should have been able to lift that so easily. Maybe she wasn't human.

“Amber asked me to come help you. Let's go! She's waiting for us!” 

She skipped out of the open door, and you reluctantly followed. Something felt off about this girl, but you weren't sure what it was. You were used to preppy, perky girls thanks to your cheerleading, but this girl was in a whole other league of perky. It was almost like she spiked her coffee with redbull. She didn't seem to fit the basketball playing type.

“Oh, darn! I forgot to mention my name. My name is Beth-Anne,” she said loudly over her shoulder.

“Nice to meet you, Beth-Anne. My name is--” you started.

“I already know your name. Amber told me,” she quickly interrupted. 

Amber glanced up from her phone and waved at the two of you from the side of her car she was leaning against. Beth-Anne enthusiastically waved back with her free hand. Blinding light escaped her mouth as she shot Amber a huge smile that reflected off of her car. She stopped in front of Amber and gave a half cocked salute. 

“I brought your friend, Amber! So, after you take her home, you're meeting us at the karaoke bar right?” she asked bursting with excitement.

As you walked up to them Amber replied, “Oh. I forgot to mention that I invited her to come with us. That is okay with you right? I mean, it is a party for my birthday. I'll pay for her portion of the room so don't worry about it.”

The smile on Beth-Anne’s face vanished as her eyes grew cold. “Oh. I suppose that's fine.” 

Her fingers turned white as she gripped your bag tightly. Her eyes shifted to you filled with an intense hatred that you could almost feel. She lifted your bag up to her chest then slowly released her grip on the handle letting it fall flush against the concrete. Your eyes widened as the loud thump caught you off guard.

You caught the quick flash of a smirk across her lips before it twisted into a look of surprise. “Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I must have lost my grip! We need to make sure everything is okay.”

She scrambled to the ground and ripped open your bag before you even had the chance to respond. She rummaged through your clothes as you stood there bewildered by what was happening right in front of you. This girl wasn't seriously digging through your bag like a crazed maniac was she? You reached down and quickly snatched your bag away from her prying hands.

“I don't need you going through my stuff. Seriously. Who does that? I understand that you mean well, but that's a violation of my privacy. I can handle this. If anything busted in the bag, it's secured in a bag so it's okay. Nothing was harmed,” you said in the nicest tone you could muster.

Once again, she cut you a sharp look that felt like daggers. What was wrong with this girl and, why did she suddenly have this vendetta against you? Before today, the two of you had never even met that you could remember. For your best interest, it would be better to avoid any more confrontations with her.

Tears trickled down Beth-Anne’s cheeks as her voice cracked and sobs overwhelmed her as she turned to face Amber. “I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!” 

She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Amber's waist burrowing her face in her chest. Amber patted her on the head and reassured her that everything would be okay and no one was upset with her. You couldn't believe it. Suddenly psycho chick turns on the waterworks, and you become the bad guy.

“There. Calm down. You should go wash your face. We need you to be happy for tonight. There will be no sad faces at my party,” Amber reassured her with a sweet tone.

Beth-Anne wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and nodded before turning back to face you. Her face of guilt quickly mutated into a smirk as she walked past you making sure the two of you made eye contact. As soon as she was out of your sight, you lifted your violated bag from the parking lot. Amber extended her hands taking the bag from yours.

As she placed the bag in the trunk of her car you asked, “Why do I get the feeling that she doesn't like me?”

“I don't think that's the case. She is a pretty genuine girl. I don't think she dropped your bag on purpose,” Amber said.

“Could have fooled me,” you sighed.

“Don't worry about it. Even if she doesn't like you, you're still my friend and nothing is going to change that.” She slammed down the trunk and flashed you a smile. “Now, let's go sing and put everyone else to shame!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for patiently awaiting my updates! This chapter was a bit difficult for me since there were so many different ways that it could have gone.   
> I have also recently taken on a commission for a friend which has cut into my alotted time for this fanfiction. If anyone is interested in a commission please let me know! I will be posting a new story with commission details soon.   
> Okey dokey then! See you all soon in the next update!


	10. Blissfully Unaware

Loud music reverberated against the walls of the plush karaoke room. You watched as various members of the basketball team exchanged the microphone between each other and sang their hearts out. Some were very good but others, like Beth-Anne, made you wish you were deaf. Every time the microphone was handed to you, you politely handed it to someone else. There was no way you could get up in front of everyone and purposefully humiliate yourself.

Amber tapped you on the shoulder and motioned for you to follow her outside of the room. You nodded and happily jumped off of the couch as soon as Beth-Anne's banshee wailing started again. As soon as the door closed behind you two, a calming quiet hit your ears like a symphony.

“Why aren't you singing?” Amber asked concerned. “Aren't you enjoying yourself?”

“I am!” you responded quickly with a louder volume than planned, summoning looks from the surrounding patrons in the lobby. “I just feel nervous. I don't do well in front of large groups like that.”

“And yet you are a cheerleader,” she said shaking her head. “Don't worry about embarrassing yourself. Listen to half the girls in there. They couldn't catch a tune even if their lives depended on it. It's not about being good. It's about having fun. Now, we are going to go back in there and sing a song together,” she demanded.

The look on her face convinced you that she wasn't going to budge so you reluctantly caved. “Okay. What song do you propose we do?”

Amber shrugged her shoulders. “I have no clue. Why don't we test out the shuffle function? I've never used it before. Maybe it'll pick a cool song we both know.”

“Sounds good,” you replied. You weren't happy about being so easily coerced into singing in front of everyone, but this was also Amber Liu. She could probably talk your pants off without even trying that hard. It must be a blessing and a curse to be that charismatic. 

Amber grabbed your arm and pulled you back inside the quieting room. To your ear’s relief, Beth-Anne's song was ending. You plopped back down onto your spot on the couch and accepted the microphone handed to you once again. Amber took the large controller in her hands and pressed the shuffle button in the middle. Song titles flashed rapidly across the screen illuminating the dark room. It slowed down before coming to a halt on a song that you recognized.

“Hey! I actually know this one!” Amber exclaimed excitedly. “My Korean isn't the best, but I can try. What about you?” 

“I'm okay minus the rapping parts. Rapping isn't really my forte,” you responded.

“Good thing I'm good at it then. Haha. I'll do all the rapping, and we can do the chorus together. Everything else is on you,” Amber laughed.

Standing back up from your seat, you swallowed hard. Your body shook with embarrassment as your knuckles turned white from gripping the microphone so hard. Unable to reply, you nodded your head. Okay. You've got this. Just forget about the other people in the room, and you'll be just fine.

Before you knew it, the song started playing. Amber started your intro which was immediately followed by the chorus. Pushing aside your anxiety, your eyes closed and a sweet melody left the confines of your throat. 

“I’ve completely fallen for you. Your soft voice, I’ve fallen for it. I’m trembling.”

Both of you exchanged verses and melded together perfectly during the chorus of AOA’s “Heart Attack”. The group around you two cheered loudly and encouraged both of you to sing with more passion. Your body began to move on it's own as you mimicked the dance moves you had seen over a thousand times before in the music video. As you stuck each move with great precision, the cheering grew louder. The song ended and both of you bowed to your audience. 

A smile stretched across your face as your nerves settled. After over an hour of being awkward and silent, you were finally starting to have fun. The other girls, minus one, encouraged you to sing another song. They loved the sound of your voice and wished you to sing one in English this time so they could understand what you were singing. You gave Amber a quick glance to which she just nodded to you.

After another shuffle on the machine, you and Amber sang another song together. Beth-Anne’s face twisted in displeasure and anger as she glared at you through the darkness of the room. Even though you couldn't see it, your body still reacted with small goosebumps and a chill up your spine. The feeling was similar to how you felt every time Nick looked at you with his lecherous eyes. The sensation caused you to lose your place in the song but luckily Amber was there to cover for you. 

Once the song ended, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Both you and Amber bowed to them and high fived one another for doing so well. Settling back down in your seat, you glanced over in Beth-Anne's direction hoping to find the source of your unpleasant feelings. As your eyes met, she quickly cut away from you and focused on Amber sitting back down next to her. Latching onto Amber's arm, Beth-Anne's expression immediately changed as she looked up at the older girl with doe eyes.

You crossed your arms in front of your chest and leaned back into the couch with a look of agitation. There she was again trying to get Amber's attention and rubbing it in your face that she had it. As other people sang, you watched Amber and Beth-Anne closely. Beth-Anne's grip on Amber's arm never faltered, and you could see that Amber was uncomfortable. While you desperately wanted to say something, the last thing you wanted was to cause a scene with all of Amber's closest friends around.

A knock sounded at the door as a young, Korean man entered the room carrying in a large cake covered in lit candles. Everyone stood up and clapped their hands as they sung the ‘Happy Birthday’ song to Amber. At the end of the song, Amber blew out all of the candles on her cake. Before leaving, the man informed the group that they had about fifteen minutes left before they needed to vacate the room for the next scheduled party.

Amber cut into the cake making sure that everyone got a piece of decent size. A plate with a large piece was handed to you. Amber flashed you a smile as you took the plate from her hands. Thankfully, the absence of light in the room concealed the blush on your cheeks. You took a small bite of the cake and was astounded by how delicious it was. Whoever made that cake was a baking genius. 

“Amber, this cake is as amazing as you are!” Beth-Anne exclaimed as she smirked at you.

“Umm...thanks,” Amber said as she laughed awkwardly. 

Trying your best to ignore Beth-Anne’s blatant attempt to instigate a fight with you, you continued to eat your cake until it was finished. Beth-Anne kept subtly dropping hints your way that she didn't want you there. You asked yourself why she was so hell bent on hating you. You weren't the girl Amber was in love with so why was there so much hatred directed towards you?

A girl with long, blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail looked down at her watch and realized what time it was. She ushered everyone to clean up their mess so they could leave in time. The basketball team stood up and stretched. They gathered their belongings and picked up the random empty water bottles scattered across the room. The group filed out of the room one by one.

“Hey, Beth-Anne, come on. Remove yourself from Amber's hip. We have to go, and if you want a ride home then you need to hurry,” the same girl said.

“Wait. I thought we were meeting up at Amber's house tonight,” she questioned as Amber managed to pry the girl off of her arm.

“I have a chem test to study for, and the other girls have some cramming to do this weekend. Besides, Amber probably wants to spend time with her family. Now, let's go,” she insisted.

A pout formed on Beth-Anne’s face as she turned towards Amber. “Can't you give me a ride home?”

“Sorry. You live too far out of the way for me to take you. Alicia lives a couple of streets down from you. It only makes sense for her to take you. I'll see you at practice Monday,” Amber replied.

You couldn't help the smug look that formed on your face as Beth-Anne looked in your direction. Her look of dismay quickly changed to jealous anger. She huffed as she walked away from both of you and left with Alicia. Amber sighed and apologized to you for Beth-Anne's behavior.

“Oh. It's fine. I'm just unsure about why she seems to dislike me,” you wondered.

“It's probably not you personally. She just gets super protective of me sometimes,” she said as she held open the door for you with her free hand.

You stepped out of the door and walked alongside Amber across the gravel lot to her car. “I hope you've enjoyed your birthday so far.”

“It's been great. Thanks for coming to my party. I know the cheerleaders were throwing their own party this weekend. Are you sure it was okay to miss out on that?” she asked as she opened the passenger door and placed her cake on the back seat.

She shifted her body and crawled over the center console into her own seat. As she turned the key in the ignition, you stepped into the car and sat down on the plush seat. Leaning back and reaching a nice level of comfort, you buckled yourself into the car. As she pulled out from the parking spot, you looked over at her.

As you flashed Amber a kind smile you said, “It's perfectly fine that I missed the party. The other girls are nice and all, but they really don't have a lot in common with me. I like a lot of geeky stuff while they like discussing twitter trends. The only thing we have in common is cheerleading. I don't mind being out of the loop with them. I would rather hang out with you any day.”

A pleasant smile crossed Amber’s lips as she glanced over at you. “That's great to hear. I have enjoyed hanging out with you too.”

The car slowly crossed the gradually filling parking lot as the radio played softly in the background. Your heart pounded in your chest as you stared down at your backpack in the floorboard. Excitement became harder to contain as the urge to give Amber her gift right then and there pushed you. After a random assortment of songs on the radio and Amber having bouts of road rage, the car stopped in front of your house.

“We are here, madam,” she said in a bad French accent.

You couldn't help but giggle at her silliness. Whenever she did things like this, you could almost feel yourself falling in love with her all over again. Her humor and warmth always made you feel like you were floating on clouds. Her smile reminded you of the first time that you ever saw her.

It all started about two years ago during your eighth grade orientation at your high school. You had just finished your placement testing for your freshman classes and decided to step outside. The January air chilled you to the bone as you walked underneath the breezeways. Older students were busy setting up various club booths.   
In an attempt to relieve yourself from the cold, you stepped into the gymnasium. Warmth cradled your freezing body as you could no longer see your breath. Sounds of feet squeaking against the floor caught your attention and prompted you to look over at the basketball goal. There stood a girl in a basketball uniform throwing a ball at the goal.

Sweat trickled down the side of her face as she continued taking shot after shot at the goal. Intrigued, you sat down on the bottom bleacher and watched her practice. Whoever that girl was, she was very good. She missed very few shots and was diligent about practice. Even after watching her for minutes on end, she failed to notice that you were even there.

“Hey! I thought I may find you here! It's definitely warmer in here, that's for sure!” your best friend exclaimed as she sat down next to you shivering.

The girl standing underneath the goal paused and turned around facing the two of you. She lifted the bottom of her shirt wiping the sweat off of her brow. Replacing her shirt, she brushed her fingers through her damp hair and smiled. Your body shivered as your heart jumped at the sight of her smile. It was so warm and inviting. You had never experienced a smile like hers before.

A girl with long, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail entered the gymnasium and yelled across the mostly empty room, “Hey, Amber! Come on! We have to go set up the booth.”

“Alright. I'll be there in a bit,” she yelled back as she picked up the basketball from the gymnasium floor.

She sprinted across the room, leaving you and your best friend alone in the large room. Your cheeks felt like they were on fire, and your heart was beating faster than you had ever felt before. Noticing your silence, your best friend nudged you. When you didn't respond, she pinched your nose.

Instantly you jumped up and pushed her hand away to rub your poor, violated nose. “What was that for?”

“You spaced out on me.” She examined your face closely. “Why are your cheeks red?”

“I--I don't know,” you stammered as your cheeks grew an even darker shade of red.

A smirk formed on your friend’s face as she stared intently at you. “You know, that girl was pretty cute. Don't you think so?”

“I don't know. I guess so.” You stared down at your lap and refused to look her in the eyes.

“Hmm...maybe we should go talk to her,” she teased.

“No!” you immediately responded as your eyes widened. She wasn't serious about that, was she? For some reason that girl made you feel like your heart was going to explode out of your chest. There was no way you could talk to her. You had no idea how your body would react to actually speaking with her. 

Your best friend started chuckling and patted you on the back. “It's okay. I was just kidding, (Your Name).”

“(Your Name). (Your Name). (Your Name)!” Amber said as she poked you.

“Wait...what?” you asked as you came out of your flashback sequence. 

“You've just been sitting there while I've held the door open for about five minutes. You ever gonna get out of the car or have you grown that attached to it?” she laughed.

“Oh! I'm sorry, Amber. Let me get my stuff.” 

You reached down and grabbed your backpack from the floor of the car. As you stepped out of the vehicle, you noticed your gym bag on Amber's shoulder. Flustered by the realization that Amber stood there this entire time with your heavy bag on her shoulder, you moved even quicker. She pushed the door closed and both of you walked up the driveway to your door. 

You fumbled around in your backpack pocket for your keys. Cold metal brushed against your fingers as you took them in your hands. The key clicked in the lock as the deadbolt released and the door opened. As you pushed the door further open, you flipped up the living room light switch. Bright light enveloped the room as both of you entered.

“Where do you want me to put this heavy thing?” Amber asked.

“Just set it on the floor,” you said as you closed the door behind her.

As your bag thumped against the floor, you gently placed your backpack on the couch. Amber stood in the middle of the room rubbing her forearm. As you motioned for her to sit down next to you your heart raced. Now was the moment of truth. Was she going to like your gift?

Amber took the seat next to you as you unzipped the bag and removed the gift bag from before. Thankfully, even with the road rage, Amber was a great driver and the bag didn't get squished underneath your mountain of school books. A genuine look of surprise donned Amber's face as you held out the bag to her. She took the bag in her hands and looked at you almost as if asking permission to open it.

“I hope you like it,” you said quietly.

Amber opened the overly cute bag and removed the copious amount of tissue paper standing between her and her prize. She reached inside the bag and pulled out the small, pastel plushie. Her eyes brightened as she held the small toy in her hands. Holding it up to her cheek she asked you if there was a striking resemblance. The weight on your chest lightened as you saw the happy expression on her face.

“Does that mean you like it?” you asked still a bit uncertain.

Amber leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around you. “I love it. Thank you so much for this. It's perfect. I'll always cherish it.”

“It's nothing special…” you said blushing profusely.

“It's special to me. My good friend went out of her way to get me something special even though we haven't been friends that long. Thank you,” she said as you felt her breath brush against your ear.

She pulled back from you and placed her hands on your shoulders. Your eyes locked, and you held your breath as Amber slowly leaned forward. Instinctively, your eyes closed as you awaited for her lips to come into contact with your own. Your mind raced and screamed at you. Was this really happening right now?

A loud vibration and a ringtone sounded, causing you to jump from the surprise. Amber pulled back from you and reached into her pocket. She pulled out her phone and looked down. Her brow furrowed with confusion as an unknown number popped up on her screen. Curious about the identity of the caller, Amber answered the phone. 

“Hello?” she asked.

Amber grew silent as she listened intently to the call. You tried to listen in but couldn't make out a single word that was said. In fact, it was as if no one was speaking at all. Amber pulled the phone from her ear and ended the call.

“That was odd,” she said as she looked over at you.

“Who was it?” you asked concerned.   
“I'm not sure. It was an unknown number and the person on the other end just breathed into the phone. Definitely odd. Probably just a silly prank from one of the guys on the football team,” she said as she pet the head of her alpaca plushie.

“I see. Well, let's forget about the phone call. Do you want to watch a movie or something?” you asked as you stood up from the couch.

“Sure. Pick anything you want to watch. It can even be a romance. I'm not picky today,” she said smiling at you.

“Titanic sound good then?” you asked jokingly.

“Only if you plan on me falling asleep on the couch. How about ‘Easy A’? It's a pretty good comedy from what I heard,” she suggested.

“It's your birthday not mine so that sounds like a plan!” you said happily as you walked over to the entertainment system.

As you gathered your (game console of choice) controller, you mulled over the phone call in your head. Who was that on the phone with Amber? Why did they have to call at such an inconvenient time? Even if Amber wasn't going to kiss you, they still ruined a great lovey dovey moment. 

Standing outside of your window a dark, covered figure quickly walked across the yard. Once their feet touched the sidewalk, they reached into their pocket and pulled out their phone. They dialed the first number on their favorite list and held it up to their ear awaiting an answer. 

Once the receiver of the call answered, they spoke. “You were right. She was there. What should I do now?”

They paused as the person on the other end gave them instructions.

“Are you sure?” they asked as they paused again. “Okay. If that's what you want me to do. See you later.” 

The dark figure disappeared into the darkness preparing to enact whatever plan their partner had disclosed to them. Blissfully unaware of the events about to happen, you sat down on your couch next to Amber and began to enjoy a movie with her. Today had been a great day for you. Tomorrow, though, was another story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the late update! I've been pretty preoccupied lately.
> 
> I love reading your theories and feedback on the story. My questions for you this time are as follows: Who was on the phone? Who was at the window? What do they plan to do?  
> Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. :3 
> 
> Anyway, I hope every one of you had a great holiday and a happy new year! See you all in the next update!


	11. Completely Unexpected

The sun brushed across your face as you stared up at the bright blue sky. Clouds like marshmallows danced above you as a cool breeze blew through your hair. Wispy strands stuck to your face, refusing to let go. As your brow furrowed, a giggle graced your ears. Soft fingers reached out and brushed back the stubborn hair.

“There. That's better,” Amber said as she smiled.

“Thanks,” you said as a deep shade of pink spread across your cheeks.

Amber’s hand cradled the side of your face as you looked up at her and your eyes met. Your heart thumped so loudly in your chest that you were afraid that Amber would notice. Her eyes closed as she leaned in, and your heart fluttered. Instinctively, your eyes shut as your lips puckered and awaited the soft touch of hers.

Softness pushed against your lips in a sweet kiss making you weak to your knees. Amber wrapped her other arm around your back giving you full support as her mouth ravaged yours. Her tongue pushed past your closed lips and danced against yours for control of your mouth. You mind went blank as you fully immersed yourself into the kiss.

Suddenly, Amber forcefully pulled away from you. As you opened your eyes, you noticed a crowd surrounding both of you. Shadowed arms wrapped around Amber and pulled her further away. As you reached out to her, shadowed arms wrapped around your entire body and pulled you into the surrounding darkness. Muted screams left your throat as the world around you went completely dark. 

A voice echoed, “You will suffer if you continue down your current path... Now, wake up.”

Your eyes fluttered open as you looked around the room disoriented. Amber was seated at the foot of the bed staring back at you. She smiled as the smell of breakfast filled your senses. You sat up and gripped your head in your hand. It pounded loudly in your ears as the words from your dream played on repeat.

“Are you okay?” Amber asked.

The pounding let up as you took in deep, soothing breaths. “Yeah. Just a nasty headache. I didn't sleep too well.”

Amber crossed her arms in front of her chest as she said sternly, “No more Korean horror movies for you then.”

Both of you looked at each other and laughed. Amber offered to bring your breakfast and some medicine to you, but you declined. Since Amber went through the trouble of cooking breakfast, the least you could do was enjoy it at the table in her company. Once you hobbled drowsily down the stairs, a thought popped into your head. Why was Amber still here? You assumed that she would have gone home after the movie was over last night.

“In case you're wondering, I told my mom that I was staying here last night. You passed out in the middle of the movie so I helped you to your bed. I was too tired to risk driving home. Since I intruded, I felt like I had to make you breakfast to make up for it. Also, your couch is super comfy,” Amber called out from the kitchen.

“How did she…?” you asked yourself as you took a seat at the table.

Cutely shaped pancakes were displayed neatly on your plate. Your mouth watered at the sight of them. They looked nice enough to be those advertisement pancakes that you see in the brochures but never actually receive. Strips of juicy bacon laid beside the pancakes and called out to you. Growling, your stomach reminded you just how hungry you were.

Amber sat down next to you with her plate in hand. She noticed you eyeballing your food like a ravenous animal and smiled. “If it looks that good then please eat.”

Nodding your head, you slathered syrup all over the pancakes before cutting a large chunk with your fork. You brought the savory pancake to your lips and bit down into it greedily. As you chewed, your expression changed from happy to disgusted. Quickly, you set down your fork and chugged some milk to wash down the pancake. After forcing the atrocious bite down, you sighed. How could something so delicious looking taste so horrible?

“Do you like it?” Amber asked. “I don't normally cook so this was a first for me. I hope they came out okay.”

Oh no. You didn't want to hurt her feelings, but you didn't know if you had enough milk left to force the rest of the food down. Unsure of what to say, you just smiled. Amber's eyes lit up as she took a bite of her own pancakes. The light slowly left her eyes as she pushed her plate away.

“How about we go out to eat? It'll be my treat,” she said as she painfully swallowed back the pancake. 

“You know, that sounds like a great idea,” you said awkwardly as you stood up from the table.

Amber cleared the table as you rushed back up the stairs to change your clothes. As she pushed the food off the plates and into the trash can, she contemplated over what she had done wrong. She followed the instructions perfectly and even made sure she measured out the correct amount of sugar.

As the thought crossed her mind, she stared at the containers your mother meticulously kept everything in. Amber pulled down the one she had used earlier. She opened up the lid and pinched out a small taste. Her mouth puckered at the salty taste. As she turned the container around, the word ‘salt' printed on the side jumped out at her. Laughing nervously, she put the container back into the cabinet.

“Well, that explains everything,” she said to herself as she sighed.

“That explains what?” you asked as you popped into the kitchen fully dressed and ready to go.

“Huh?!” Amber jumped back as your sudden appearance surprised her. “Oh...nothing!”

“Hmm?” you questioned.

“It's nothing. So, where are we going to eat?” Amber asked as she placed the dishes in the dishwasher.

“I don't really care. Wherever you want to go is fine with me,” you said happily. You didn't care where the two of you went. You were just happy to be together with her.

“Waffle House sound good to you then? It's a lot closer than iHop,” Amber inquired.

“Sure!” you replied as your stomach growled loudly, making sure to remind you again just how hungry you were.

“And with that,” Amber chuckled, “we're off!”

Both of you exited the kitchen and walked across the plush floor to the living room. Amber's keys clinked against themselves as she picked them up off of the table. Reaching up, you grabbed your house keys from their hook next to the door. You skipped out the door as an overwhelming happiness coursed through your veins. This was another chance to be alone with Amber. Nothing was going to ruin your day.

As the thought crossed your mind, your eyes focused on your yard and grew wide at the sight. “Oh my God…” you said lowly as you took in your surroundings.

“What's wrong? Why did you st--” Amber asked as her voice cut off when she realized what you were staring at.

Red spray painted letters were scattered across the yard. Your eyes scanned them making out their message.

“This will teach you, you cunt,” you read out loud in a flat tone.

Amber's face twisted with anger, an expression you had never witnessed on her face before. She rushed across the yard to her car which was covered with scratches. As you walked the length of the walkway, you noticed more obscenities plastered across your yard and leading up to your driveway. Your eyes followed the words all the way to your garage door. On the side was a single word in large, bold letters: dyke.

At the sight of the word, you fell to your knees. Tears slowly trickled down your face as flashbacks from your dream bombarded your mind. Why? Why would someone do this? What could they hope to accomplish by writing such horrible words publicly on your lawn and your house?

Amber’s comforting hand touched your shoulder as the tears flowed faster. “I'm sorry, (Your Name). This is my fault.”

“What?” You looked up at her confused. Your eyes widened as you caught a glimpse of her eyes filled with guilt and sadness.

“Someone is doing this to you because of me. They must think that our relationship is something more than it is. I'm so sorry,” she said as her voice began to crack as she held back her own tears.

This whole ordeal had you taken aback. Amber was always so cheerful. Very rarely did you ever see her without a smile on her face. This expression, this pain in her eyes, was heart wrenching. The thought that someone caused her to hold that expression on her face infuriated you and was like a dose of courage.

“This isn't your fault, Amber. You didn't make someone do this. They made their own choice to take time out of their pathetic lives to try to ruin our day. We can't let them win,” you said defiantly as you stood up from the ground.

Amber's watered eyes cleared up as she nodded to you. “You're right. Forget them. Now, let's get this place cleaned up!”

Both of your stomachs growled loudly in unison. “Maybe after we get some food first,” you said as both of you laughed.

Awaiting in a parked car, down the street from the both of you, sat a man dressed in all black. His phone vibrated against his leg in his pocket waking him up from his peaceful slumber. Groggily he pulled the phone out and answered the call.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Did everything go as planned?” the voice on the other end of the call asked.

“I did as you asked me to. I still don't know what you plan to accomplish here. They both seem like nice enough girls, and I'm pretty sure they're just friends. Right now, they're standing outside laughing,” he said nonchalantly.

“What? They should be upset, not laughing it off,” the voice replied angrily. “Ugh. It doesn't matter. Enough of the neighborhood should have seen it to be curious now. It may not work immediately, but the rumors will spread slowly like poison.”

“If you say so. As long as I get paid, I don't really care.”

“Oh, don't worry. You'll get paid accordingly,” the voice laughed. “Now, follow them. I don't need them being lovey dovey with one another.”

“Yeah. That's not going to happen. I'm going to sleep. You can follow them yourself. I was up almost all night out here setting stuff up. You can take this shift. Besides, we have a chemistry exam to study for. I can't fail another test for you. Sorry,” the guy said as he hung up the phone and sighed.

“Damn you, Jay. Fine. I'll take care of it myself,” the person on the other end of the call said before hanging up and tossing their phone to the side.

They leaned back in their chair and stared up at the ceiling contemplating what they should do next. They tried their hardest to be subtle enough to invoke just the right amount of fear to cause a breakup, but it seemed that they would have to bring it up a notch. What were they going to do though?

Staring at the calendar on the wall, an idea formed in their mind. The dance was next week. That was it! A frightening laugh came from their body as the wheels in their head turned vigorously. They quickly picked up their phone from it's tossed position and emphatically typed out a mass message. After what they had planned for you, your relationship with Amber would have no choice but to cease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the patience! I am in the middle of opening a kawaii store in my area so I have been very busy lately! This chapter was actually going to be longer, but it ended on just the right note. I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is actually almost completely done. I was going to wait and post both at the same time, but decided that you all have been waiting long enough for the new chapter.
> 
> Also, since this is technically the 10th chapter of the story, I am hosting a contest! On my Wattpad page, I am hosting a cover page contest. Here, on AO3, I will have a different contest! You have the chance to create a background character that will interact with a main character! Since you are the "star" of this story, it can be anyone that you would like! 
> 
> All you have to do to enter is post the following in a comment: Name, Age, Gender, Hair Color, Hair Length and Type, Eye Color, Height, Build, Personality, Other Defining Features. Also, links to picture references would be great! 
> 
> I will choose a random character as the winner. The contest will end on my birthday, March 19th!
> 
> Good luck everyone, and see you next time!


	12. The Best of a Bad Day

“I can't believe that psycho keyed my car. My parents are going to kill me,” Amber said in a frustrated tone as she rubbed repair gel into the scratches.

“I wish they would have left your car alone in all of this,” you responded as you scrubbed the side of the garage door with an old sponge.

“It's fine,” Amber sighed. “It was probably that guy that you jilted. Who else would write, ‘Happy birthday, bitch’ on someone's car? Then again, if it was him, he gets revenge like a girl would.”

You couldn't help but giggle at her response. This whole thing did seem like something that a girl rather than a guy would do. Thankfully, nothing was really harmed. The grass would eventually grow enough to cover up the paint. All you had to do was scrub the garage door before more of your neighborhood realized what was being displayed across it.

Tires slowly creeped up your driveway behind Amber's vehicle. Perplexed by the sound, you turned around and stared at the familiar black luxury car. Oh no. This wasn't good. Why now of all times did he have to show up?

“Hey, (Your Name)! How is my lovely little sister doing?” your brother asked as he stepped out of the driver seat of the car.

Bright highlights glistened among his dark brown hair which was perfectly swooped across his forehead. He was dressed to kill in his black, casual suit that you could tell was brand new. Your father must have purchased it for him since suits were more his style than your brother's. As he removed his dark shades from his eyes, he smiled as he looked your way.

“I'm just fine...just peachy,” you said nervously. “Is Dad with you?”

“No. Why do you-- Woah! What did you do to the side of the house?” he asked as he walked up the driveway and caught a good glance at the taunting word.

“I didn't do anything. Someone from school was just playing a prank on me,” you lied.

“That's one hell of a prank,” he said as he walked up behind Amber. “So, gonna introduce me to your boyfriend here?” 

“Boyfriend? You should know that I don't have a boyfriend. That's my friend, Amber,” you said as you glared at him internally. How dare he call Amber your “boyfriend”.

Amber stood up from her seated position next to her car door and glanced over at your brother. Even though she had a couple of inches on you, your brother easily towered over her. She brushed back her bangs out of her face and smiled at him. She extended her hand to which he gladly accepted.

“Oh. I'm sorry that I called you her boyfriend. With the clothes and hair, I assumed that you were a guy,” he apologized.

“That's okay. I've heard that before,” she laughed. “But you shouldn't assume. When you do, you make an ass out of you and me.” She pulled back her hand and returned to scrubbing at the scratches.

‘She may be a girl, but she has the foul mouth of a guy,’ your brother thought to himself before walking around her and towards you. 

“So, why are you here, (Your Brother's Name)?” you asked as you leaned down to rinse out the sponge. As happy as you were to see him, now was the worst time for him to pop up unannounced. 

“I came by to see you, silly. I'm sad that you aren't as excited about this as I am. I figured you would be overjoyed to see me since I haven't been able to stop by in months,” he pouted.

“I'm very happy you came by. I just have to get this stupid word off the house before the neighbors start gossiping. You know they have nothing better to do with their life,” you said hastily. 

“This is true,” he said as he read the word still mostly adorning the door. “Why would someone paint that on the garage?”

“I don't know,” you said as you looked away quickly. You were blatantly lying and knew that if he took one look at your face then he would know. For some reason, no matter how good you got at lying or hiding your feelings, he always knew.

His broad hand rested on your shoulder in an effort to comfort you. “If there is something that you're hiding from me, you can tell me.”

Wow. As expected, it didn't take him long to figure it out. “You're wrong. I'm not hiding anything.”

Gripping the sponge harder, you wished that for once, he would just drop it. He stood there staring at you intently before shaking his head and shrugging it off. He knew that you were lying, but he didn't feel the need to pry into the situation anymore. If something was truly bothering you, you would tell him about it when you felt comfortable enough to.

“Okay then. Will you at least let me help you clean this all up? A strong man, such as myself, will have this done in no time,” he bragged. 

Watching his nose grow as large as his ego, you couldn't help but crack a smile on that somber face of yours. “Fine. You can scrub the grass then.”

“What? The grass?” he asked as he turned his head to observe the damage. “You can't seriously expect me to clean grass, can you?”

“Well, you're the ‘big, strong man’, right?” you replied jokingly.

“Yeah...I have a better idea,” he said as he pushed past you and opened the garage door with his key. 

“Hey! I was busy cleaning that! You could have taken my arm with it!” you scolded.

Ignoring your words, your brother walked into the rather empty garage and rustled through random boxes. Amber looked up from her car rather curious of the racket your brother was causing. An ‘ah ha’ echoed in the garage as he pulled out a box from underneath the pile alongside the wall. He opened the box and pulled out a spray can which he then proceeded to shake vigorously. 

“I'm going to turn their nasty words into a work of art,” he said happily as he exited the garage. 

He crossed the tainted yard of profanity and continued shaking cans throughout the box to test how much paint was left inside them. “Alright art school, don't fail me now.” 

With swift movements, paint sprayed from the cans in your brother's hands onto the ground below. Mesmerized by his fluid movements, Amber and you stopped what you were doing to watch. He quickly and effortlessly switched from color to color even though the paint was slowly staining his clothes. His lack of care for his clothes was apparent when he used his jacket as a stencil.

“Woah. That's almost inhuman how fast he's working. What will it look like when he's done?” Amber asked. 

She was enthralled with your brother and his work, but you couldn't blame her. He was an art genius. He already had scholarships lined up even though he was only a couple of years older. He was even attending Seoul Arts High School where they were honing his Korean techniques. He was the star of the family even if he didn't act like it half the time. 

“Finished!” he shouted as he hopped up from his kneeling position. 

“That quickly?” Amber asked thoroughly impressed.

“Yep. Seems he hasn't lost his touch even though he can't do his spray paint art anymore,” you replied to her. 

“(Your Name!) You have to come see this! I think it's one of my best yet,” he shouted excitedly. 

He fumbled around with his clothes searching for his phone to take a picture. Amber and you crossed the driveway and looked down at the yard. Both of you stood in awe as a picture that would rival a Bob Ross painting was laid out in front of you. The sunset he painted looked surreal. The red words blended in perfectly with the yellow and orange of the sky, and you had to truly search to find them again.

“Wow, (Your Brother's Name)! You really outdid yourself this time. Thank you for this,” you said as you reached out to hug him.

His hand shot up and pressed against your shoulder to stop you. “You don't want all of this paint on you. Dad's already going to be pissed that I ruined the clothes he just bought me.”

Stepping back, you let out a soft laugh. “Well then, you should get changed. I hope you brought extra clothes because I don't think you can fit into mine.”

“Honey, please. I can work your clothes better than you can,” he said effeminately while flipping his hair out of his face.

Amber laughed as you glared at him. “Just go get changed,” you huffed.

“Don't be jealous just because I'm the prettier sibling,” he continued to joke as his hips swayed as he walked into the house. 

“He better not be going after my clothes,” you said as you sighed.

“He seems like a great guy,” Amber said in between laughs.

“He's a wonderful guy. He just has his moments where I wish I could strangle him.” You held your hands out in front of you and strangled the air in between them.

“That's how siblings are. Jackie can be a bit of a bully sometimes so I understand,” Amber said as she cleared her throat.

“Luckily, I don't see my brother very much so we get along really well. He's always been a bit of the protective type too so he's never really bullied me. He does have a tendency to play around too much though. I don't know how he survives school,” you said with a small smile.

Your brother, even with as goofy as he could be, had always been there for you. He always came to your rescue when other boys would pick on you. He always stood up to them for you. Part of you missed that. You weren't lonely when he was around. 

Looking over at Amber, you held your composure. Not now. You couldn't become sad now. These feelings would have to wait until she left. You couldn't watch her on the verge of tears again because of her care for your feelings.

“I guess we should get back to work. It's going to take a lot of effort to finish this up. The paint is definitely taking some work to get off. I'm almost thinking of just painting over it. It would probably be faster,” you said as you leaned up against Amber's car.

Amber stood next to you contemplating about what to do. She glanced down at the cans of paint lying across the ground and an idea came to her. If your brother had that much spray paint then theoretically he should have remover of some kind. She walked over to the discarded box and rummaged through the remaining cans. Perplexed by what she was doing, you watched as she pulled a metallic can from the box.

“I found it!” she exclaimed. 

“What is that?” you asked as you stepped closer to her.

“Spray paint remover. Well, kind of. It should work on the door, but we have to spray it down with the hose after a few minutes. This is really strong stuff,” she explained. 

“That's great! I'll take a hose over that stupid sponge any day,” you said relieved.

Amber walked up to the door and pressed the button on the wall right inside the garage. As the garage door started closing, she swiftly moved out of its way. Once it was completely on the ground, she held out the can with one hand and covered her mouth with the other. Catching onto her cue, you pulled the top of your shirt up over your chin and used it to cover your mouth. After you gave her a thumbs up, she began to spray the door. White foam gathered on the door making sure to cover up each individual letter of the perverse word.

“I’ll go get the hose,” you muffled through your shirt.

Amber set down the can and waved the air in front of her face until particles from the spray couldn’t be seen any longer. From the side of the house, you pulled on the hose and dragged it over towards Amber. You handed it off to her and went back around to turn on the faucet. You twisted the knob and listened to the hissing sound of water flowing through the barely used pipes. 

You jogged back to the front of the house and, to your surprise, the ground was dry. Water dripped from the end of the hose slowly, indicating that there must have been a kink in the line. You immediately spotted it and bent down to open up the line. Water burst from the hose, and you jumped almost out of your skin as the cold water rushed up you back.

“Oh my God! I'm so sorry!” Amber said as she quickly faced the hose away from you.

You slowly stood up from your bent position and turned to face her. Water dripped from your drenched shirt as you scowled at the unintended shower. Amber turned her head to the side and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. She couldn't hold back the laughter as she looked at your angry face. It was so cute and funny at the same time.

“Your face reminds me of the Beast during his bath scene,” she said muffled under her hand.

“Oh? Really then?” you asked as you reached out and grabbed the hose from her hand. “I wonder who you'll look like?”

Holding the hose up, you placed your thumb over half of the opening. A stream of water jetted from the opening and hit Amber square in the chest. Completely drenched, her shirt stuck to every curve of her upper body. Water ricocheted up to her face and soaked everything in it's path. Amber stood their shocked as water trickled down her arms.

“You look like Kuzco,” you giggled.

Amber pushed her bangs out of her eyes and smirked. “Oh. It's on now!”

She grabbed the hose from your hands and began to spray water all over your body as well. You let out a loud yelp as the cold water contacted with your skin. You reached back up and gripped the hose again turning the open end back to her completely drenching her head. Both of you wrestled with the hose in hopes of gaining full control. Water continued to spray over both of you as you both started to laugh at the situation. 

Somehow, you had managed to turn a bad day back into a good one, but even if that day had stayed horrible you wouldn't have minded it as long as you were with her.


	13. Behind These Dark Walls

Korean pop music blasted in your face as you opened the front door and entered the living room. Your brother trotted down the stairs in fresh clothes and wet hair which he was vigorously drying with a towel. He looked over at yourself and Amber cracking a smile. Both of you stood in the doorway completely drenched with puddles of water forming at your feet.

“What happened to you two?” he asked laughingly. 

“We got a little carried away. We got everything off the garage door though,” you said feeling accomplished. “I'm going to change clothes.”

You excused yourself from the room and sprinted up the stairs trying desperately to keep as much water off the carpeted floor as possible. Your brother glanced over at the shivering Amber who was standing in front of the door awkwardly trying to not freeze to death as the air conditioning blew cold air down her body. He looked her over from head to toe and asked her what size she was. When she replied, he kindly instructed her to follow him up the stairs. Happy to not be turning into an icicle anymore, Amber quickly nodded her head and walked closely behind him.

They climbed the stairs and walked down the hall from your room. Your brother pushed open the cracked door and motioned for Amber to enter the room. As she walked into the dim room, your brother flipped the light switch, and the unexpected bright lights nearly blinded her. Her eyes adjusted to the new light, and the details of the room became clearer. Paintings covered the walls from floor to ceiling. In some areas the paintings were so perfectly placed that it seemed like there was never a wall there to begin with.

A towel flew across the room hitting Amber in the head as she stood there gawking at the mountain of paintings. Pulling the towel from the top of her head, she opened it. She sprawled the soft, plush fabric over her shoulders to shield herself from the cold air coming in from the ceiling vent. Amber swore that she could see her breath in the air, but maybe she was just imagining it.

Your brother stood up from his crouching position in front of the dresser. In his arms were some old clothes that he hadn't worn since he moved. Most of what he left behind was too small for him now anyway so he didn't mind passing them off to someone who could actually get some use out of them. He turned around to face Amber once again and held out his arm to offer the clothes to her.

“Here. It's not much, but it seems to match your style,” he said as Amber grabbed the clothing from his hand.

“Thank you,” Amber politely responded.

“No problem, Amber. Anything for a friend of my sister’s,” he said with a soft smile. 

A happy smile crept across Amber’s face, but Amber’s eyes told a different story. There was a hint of unexplainable sadness hidden behind the cheerful demeanor. Your brother ignored the forlorn look in Amber's eyes, not wanting to pry into her business.

“Well, I'm pretty sure you want to get out of those wet clothes. I'm sorry that's all I can offer you clothing wise. If you want, you can just wrap your wet clothes in that towel and bring them downstairs. I'll toss them into the dryer for you,” he offered.

“Sounds great,” Amber responded happily.

Your brother nodded his head in acknowledgement and walked out of the room shutting the door closed behind him. As the door clicked shut, Amber released the breath she had been holding. It took a lot of effort to keep up her happy appearances all the time. While she was genuinely happy to spend time with you, she had to work hard to hide the sadness she felt after your brother's comment. She knew he didn't mean any harm by his statement and under normal circumstances it would be considered a good thing, but it still didn't stop the sting. “Friend”; that damned word always cut through her like a heated knife. 

Amber shook her head and breathed in deeply to clear her mind of the negative thoughts. Curious, Amber opened up the shirt your brother had handed her. The black sleeveless shirt sported the face of The Prodigy frontman, Keith Flint. The accompanying black and white oil slick shorts looked like they were made specifically to match the top. 

“Wow. I'm impressed. He's got pretty good taste,” Amber smiled.

Amber placed the clean clothes onto the bed and peeled the wet clothes from her body placing them in a neat pile on the floor. Taking the towel in her hands once again, she dried off her short hair. As the plush fabric rubbed against her hair, she couldn't help but think to herself how odd the year was ending. Here she was standing naked in the house of the girl she cared about. Granted, this wasn’t her preferred situation to be naked in, but it would have to do for now.

As the thought crossed her mind, Amber brought her hands up to her face and used them to cover her eyes. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink underneath their chilled touch as she began to feel embarrassed. Slowly opening her fingers, she peeked at her reflection in the mirror. Dropping her hands, she walked up to it and admired the girl staring back at her.

“Who are you, and what have you done with the Amber I used to know?” she asked her.

Amber paused as she studied the mirror even closer almost as if she was truly speaking to another person. The corner of her lips curled in another small smile. She remembered the day that she changed. She never expected it to be that easy, but all it took was a smile...

Amber had just dominated the practice game yet again. The team congratulated her over and over again as they walked into the girl's locker room. A girl younger than her maneuvered through the crowd in a failed attempt to exit the filling room. Her eyes grew wide as they made contact with Amber’s. A light shade of pink crept across the girl's already colored cheeks. Ducking down her head and breaking the eye contact, she shyly brushed past the group of older girls without saying a word. 

The team looked at one another and shrugged it off as they each went to their respective lockers. That is, everyone but Amber. After stripping off her uniform, she grabbed her towel and toiletries from her gym bag. As she rushed to obtain the first available shower, she couldn't shake this feeling that she had seen that girl somewhere before.

She knew she had seen that girl around campus multiple times with the Asian Culture Club, but that wasn't the incident Amber's mind was trying so desperately to remember. More to the point, what was she doing at the school so late in the evening? Her club shouldn't have a meeting this late after school. Maybe she was preparing for the upcoming club festival? 

She turned off the water after washing off the hard earned sweat and wrapped her towel around her body. Her feet pattered against the soaked floors as she crossed through the war zone of naked girls racing to rid their bodies of the side effect of their hard efforts. Her mind wandered off thinking about the club festival. The basketball team were still undecided on what they were doing for the event.

“Amber? Hey, Amber! Snap out of it!” Alicia said as she tapped her foot on the floor. 

“Oh, sorry about that,” Amber apologized. 

“It's fine. You're just chilling naked in front of my locker,” the other girl replied as she wrung up her damp hair towel in her hands.

“Don't you dare,” Amber said as she jumped back, barely escaping Alicia’s wrath as the girl snapped the towel at Amber’s side..

Amber stuck her tongue out playfully as she moved completely out of the way allowing her teammate access to her locker. She quickly dried off her body. She knew that her sister was going to be waiting for her soon, and she really didn’t want to hear her complaining again about Amber showing up late. She slipped on her clothes that she wore during classes and folded her towel neatly into her gym bag. She hooked her lock back into her locker and waved goodbye to everyone. She maneuvered through the hoard of wet, half naked girls and pushed open the door.

Faint music grabbed Amber's attention the moment she stepped out the door. She listened harder and pinpointed the sound coming from the dance room. That was odd. The dance room should be closed that day. No one ever used the room on a Wednesday. Amber followed the sound that grew louder the closer she got. Energetic, poppy melodies flowed from the room whose door was left cracked. A light peaked out from the room furthering Amber’s curiosity.

Unable to control her urge to look inside the room, Amber peaked through the cracked opening. There stood a girl in tight shorts and a tank top. She was moving fluidly with the music. Each move seemed precise and struck Amber with awe. Whoever this girl was, she was really good. Amber was pretty good at dancing herself, but this girl seemed to be on another level. The music winded down, and the girl slowly stopped dancing. 

Beads of sweat glistened down her face as she stopped to catch her laboring breath. Even though she had practiced this dance multiple times, the rapid movements still tired her out after a while. The girl stared into the mirror in front of her and took in deep breaths as she waited for the next song to play. Amber caught a good look at her face when she look into the mirror. It was her, the shy girl from before.

Amber stepped back from the door and leaned her back against the wall next to it. She crossed her arms and glanced down. She really shouldn't be spying on her like that. The next song queued up and began to play. As the sound, once again, exited the confines of the room Amber peaked her head back into the room. It was against her own judgement, but she just couldn’t help herself. 

The girl quickly moved into position and gracefully moved step by step to the music. Amber watched her in amazement. Loud thumping echoed in Amber’s ears, and her heart beat wildly in her chest. Something about this girl’s dancing was just so captivating, and Amber couldn’t bring herself to look away. A soft smile formed on the girl’s face as she danced and lip synced to the music. As Amber caught a glimpse of the smile, her heart thumped even louder in her chest.The sound was almost deafening. 

As the music slowed and stopped once again, Amber watched as the girl lied down on the floor to catch her breath again. She pried herself from the opening and stepped aside. Even though she wanted to stay behind and continue watching the shy girl dance, she really had to go. It was either that or she was going to receive an earful when she finally made it to the car. As Amber walked away from the room, another girl entered. Faint talking and laughter sounded from the room as Amber walked under the breezeway. 

Amber crossed the courtyard to the front of the school. She didn’t even realize that she had crossed the whole school yard until a loud honking pulled her from her thoughts. Amber shook her head and pulled herself out of her momentary daze. Her sister sat in the driver’s seat of her car, and had an irritated expression on her face.

“Come on, slowpoke. I do have other things that I could be doing right now,” she said annoyed at Amber for being late like usual.

Amber walked up to the car and tossed her bag into the backseat from the open window. Opening the passenger door, she sluggishly sat down in the seat. After buckling up and shutting the door, her sister pulled out from the school parking lot. Jackie rambled on and on about her day. Normally Amber would have been more interested in the topic, but today, she was too preoccupied with her other thoughts. Her mind was still a bit hazy and her heart kept pounding in her chest with no indication that it was going to return to a normal rhythm any time soon. 

Amber placed her hand on her chest and felt the quick, steady beat underneath her palm. What was going on? Why was her body reacting this way? Was it because of that girl from the dance room?

They pulled into their driveway, and the moment the car turned off Amber was out the door. She had to sort out what was going on. Jackie started asking questions but couldn't even get a whole sentence out before Amber was at the front door. This behavior was odd and wasn’t at all like her sister. Jackie pondered it as she watched her sister leave her sight. Jackie sighed and pulled Amber’s neglected bag from the back of the car. Maybe Amber was just concerned about her performance during practice? That seemed like the only logical reason for the strange behavior. Content with her rationalization of the situation, Jackie locked up her car and walked up the driveway to the house.

Amber entered the house with haste and dropped her set of keys onto the table next to the door. She jogged up the stairs and didn't even hear her mother greeting her from the living room. She kicked off her shoes as she entered her room and fell backwards onto her bed. As her body sunk into the plush covers, she stared up at the ceiling. The longer she stared, the less sense her thoughts seemed to make.

“I want somebody to love. Somebody to love…” Amber sang to herself in a soft voice as the lyrics flowed into her mind from the last song the girl danced to. 

As the words left Amber’s lips, the image of the girl popped into Amber's head one more time. The glistening of her skin as her body moved perfectly in sync to the music. The way she looked at her own reflection in the mirror. That sweet, cheerful smile following her achievement. That's when Amber sat up quickly. Her heart fluttered fast in her chest. That's when she thought it. That's when she wished that she would smile at her the same way.

“This is insane,” Amber whispered to herself. 

Amber wasn't sure what to make of her situation. She had crushes before on a couple of people, but this was the first time she ever truly felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest. What did it mean? Was she in love with the girl? That would be preposterous. She barely even knew her. None of this made any logical sense. 

Amber rolled over onto her stomach and planted her face into the soft comforter underneath her. A warm, tingling feeling formed in Amber’s chest as the images continued to play over and over like movies in her head. The feeling was pleasant and was unlike any feeling Amber had ever felt before. Even if her feelings were illogical, they weren’t bad feelings. Amber contently smiled into the bed as she drifted off into a light sleep.

As you knocked at the door, the lost in thought Amber jumped as you startled her.

“Hey, is everything okay in there?” you asked quietly. “You’ve been in there for a bit. Was he able to find you some clothes?”

“Umm...yeah. Everything is fine. Sorry about that. I was just distracted by some things. I’ll be back down soon,” Amber reassured you. 

As she heard the patter of your footsteps on the stairs, Amber released her held breath. She looked back at her reflection and placed her palm to the glass. Looking deep into her own eyes, she searched for the girl that used to reside there behind those dark walls. As images of your time together flooded Amber’s mind, her eyes sparkled as the warm feeling from before filled her chest once again. 

She smiled to herself and broke away from her own eye contact. Closing her eyes, she whispered to her reflection, “You know, what? The old Amber? You can keep her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have something that I am happy with! Yay! It isn't the best, but I am at least content enough to finally give y'all the new chapter. 
> 
> Thank you again everyone for the continued support! To show my appreciation, this chapter's question will be about the outfit that the Reader's brother gives to Amber. Which f(x) video is the outfit from? Please comment your answer below! For every person that has the right answer, I will enter you into a random drawing! I will give a shout out to the winner in the next chapter's Chapter Note! Good luck everyone!
> 
> As always, I love you all, and I will see you in the next update!


	14. The Plot Thickens

Mathematical equations echoed through the room as your teacher gave his lecture for the day. His dry words went in one ear and out the other. Staring off into space, your mind wandered off as your teacher’s voice faded into the background. Yesterday's events flooded your mind and played over and over.

Even though some prick decided that your house needed some redecorating, you still managed to thoroughly enjoy your time with Amber. Then again, that really wasn't much of a surprise. Just you two being in the same room together was enough to make your heart jump with excitement. These last few weeks have been the best you have had in a really long time and helped you forget just how lonely your house could get. A smile graced your face as you happily got lost in your daydream.

The bell signaling the end of class jogged you awake. Papers rustled and books quickly shut all across the room. Students shoved their paperwork into their bags in an attempt to leave the mundane class behind as quickly as possible. As they rose from their seats, your teacher stopped them all.

“Alright class. Settle down. I have a reminder for everyone,” he started. 

Groans from the impatient students sounded across the room. Your teacher tapped his foot against the floor in a steady, irritated pace. His brows furrowed as he scowled at the impolite students in the room. One look at his face was all it took for them all to immediately plant themselves back into their seats. If there was one teacher in this school to be afraid of, it was Mr. Yang. He was a complete no nonsense person and was known to scare even the seniors.

“So, as I was saying…” he picked up where he left off. “This Friday, we have the pep rally. Afternoon classes will be canceled so I am pushing the test back to next Monday. Unless, of course, you all would rather have it on Thursday.”

The entire class unanimously rejected the new offer of an earlier test. His scowl returned, and he dismissed the class. Students scattered out of the room with speed. Faint cheers escaped them as they walked down the hall. You neatly packed your bag and placed it over your shoulder. As you passed his desk, Mr. Yang stopped you. 

“Yes, sir?” you said nervously. 

“Do you have a moment?” He asked in an unusually kind tone. 

Startled by the sudden change of tone, you nodded your head vigorously. He leaned up against his desk and crossed his arms. He looked down at you with concern in his eyes. The silence did nothing but make you even more nervous the longer you stood there. What could he possibly want? Did you fail your last test? You knew that you should have studied more.

“I'm a bit worried about you,” he said, abruptly pulling you from your thoughts. “You keep zoning out in my class. You're my best student, and I don't need you slacking off in class. The rest of your classmates already slack off as it is. Is something going on that I need to know about?” 

You could see in his eyes that he was genuinely concerned for your wellbeing even if he didn't word it as such. A smile crept across your lips. Maybe he was just a big softy after all, and his mean demeanor was just for show. You brought your hand up to your lips and cleared your throat in an attempt to hide your smile.

“I'm fine, Mr. Yang. I've just been a bit preoccupied with some things at home is all. My brother came home to visit for the week. It's just kept my mind busy. I'm sorry for dazing off in your class. I'll try harder tomorrow to not drift off so much,” you said in a sincere sounding half truth.

“Hmm...well, that's fine then. I won't keep you any longer. Go on,” he shooed you away with his hand. “Oh, and tell your brother that he’s still a punk.”

At the last statement, you couldn’t help but to laugh out loud. You reassured him that you would be happy to relay the message. You gripped your bag tighter and walked out of the room with a large smile on your face. 

Waiting, to your surprise, by the door was Alex. He tilted his chin forward and peered at you from the top of his outlandish glasses. The rims were half red and half blue with white stars scattered across the lenses. His shirt was a royal blue dusted with more stars while candy cane striped shorts clung to his slender legs. He was definitely showing his pride today. 

“Wow. You look very...American today,” you said awkwardly as you looked him over from head to toe. 

“Don't I? I'm hoping to get voted for having the most school pride. The prize this year is supposed to involve my love,” he said starry eyed. 

“That sounds great!” you cheered. You two were like the gay dynamic duo of forbidden love and tried your hardest to keep each other confident in your goals.

“Why didn't you dress up? You know that Brittany is going to have one of her fits again if she catches you not participating in spirit week,” he warned as he adjusted his glasses. 

“I know but I didn't have anything to wear, and I kind of forgot. My mind was a bit elsewhere this weekend…” you trailed off leaving him in agonizing suspense. 

“Woah. Awesome story alert. What happened? Make sure to give me the details unless you umm...did something scandalous,” he teased. 

“Ugh. Stop that.” You playfully punched him in the arm. “I wouldn't do something like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. I did have an awesome weekend with Amber though,” you bragged. 

“Ooh. So, you two are becoming good friends then. That's good. I'm a bit jealous. I still can't even get Martin to notice me outside of passing. It's almost like he's ignoring me,” Alex sighed. 

Poor guy. He really did try his best to catch Martin's attention but nothing seemed to work. Alex even cheered the loudest for Martin during practice and during games. You still didn't understand the attraction, but it didn't matter. Whatever made Alex happy was good enough for you.

Another bell rang throughout the school to signal that the buses were about to leave. Alex, realizing he was about to miss his bus, quickly rushed off waving to you as he left. You stopped in front of your locker and stared at it for a second. You didn't know why, but you couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Examining the locker, you noticed that the lock wasn't closed all the way.

“That's weird. I guess I forgot to lock it,” you said to yourself. 

Turning the cold, metal lock you unhooked it from its post. You lifted the handle and slowly opened your locker. Crimson confetti exploded into your face from the inside and covered you in glitter and small scraps of paper. Particles lodged in your throat forcing violent coughs from your body. The lock slipped from your hand and clattered to the floor. Resting your free palm on the neighboring locker to keep balance, you hunched over forcing more of the particles from your throat.

Steadying your breathing, you took in slow, deep breaths. What the hell was all of that? As you stood up straight and brushed off the excess glitter caking your shirt, you glanced up as bold letters jumped out at you from the inside of your locker. The red paint was still wet and slowly dripping down the locker wall almost resembling blood. The bright letters read, “Stay away from MY Amber, or you'll suffer.”

Your eyes widened, and your pupils dilated in fear. “No. Not again. Why?” 

The words resonated with you as flashbacks of your dream came back to you. “You will suffer.” There it was plain as day in front of you. 

Fear froze your feet to the floor, and you were unable to make your body cooperate. All you could do was stand there and reread those threatening words over and over again. This note was different from the other one. This time it was more of a threat than the last one. Whoever was doing this was escalating unless there was more than one person involved. 

The soft touch of a hand on your shoulder made your body shiver and instinctively jump backwards. You felt you foot lose its grip on the slick, glittered floor. Bracing yourself from the inevitable fall, your eyes closed. Your heart beat quickened as time seemed to stand still as you slowly plummeted backwards. The unexpected, soft form of another body pressed into your back as you fell into their waiting arms. 

Surprised by the sudden capture, your eyes fluttered opened. Your lifted and tilted your head to catch a glimpse of your rescuer. Long, blonde hair brushed against your face and was unimaginably soft. Emerald eyes filled with concern stared back at you through crystal lenses.

“Are you okay?” their beautiful voice, as smooth as warm honey, asked as she pushed you forward and back onto your feet. 

“Yeah. I’m okay. Thank you for helping me,” you replied in a falsely cheerful voice as you gripped the locker to achieve better footing.

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do since I scared you. I didn’t mean to,” she said shyly.

“It’s okay. I was just lost in thought so you startled me.” Turning around to look at her, you recognized her from your English class. “Oh! You’re Skye, right?”

“Yes, I am,” she replied happily. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I just wanted to see if I could borrow your notes from Friday. I was at a doctor’s appointment so I missed class.”

“Of course you can!” You pulled your bag off of your hip and pulled out your notebook for English. “Here you go!” you said as you handed the spiral notebook to her.

“Thank you…” her voice trailed as she caught a glimpse of the turmoil inside your locker. “Oh! That's awful! Are you being bullied by someone?” 

Your mouth opened as you gasped and quickly slammed your locker door shut. “No. That's silly. What would give you that idea?”

You laughed nervously and by the look on her face, you could tell that she wasn't buying it. A defeated sigh left your chest as you reopened the defaced locker. Skye stepped forward, careful to avoid the cluster of gathered glitter on the floor. She read the words out loud and gasped. 

“That definitely looks like bullying. I would suggest we talk to the principal about this, but I know he won't do anything. I know it may sound weird, but I was bullied a lot at my old school so I understand how you feel,” she said in a sympathetic tone.

“It’s okay, really,” you replied softly. “But wow. It's hard to imagine such a pretty girl like yourself being bullied.” 

Her eyes brightened as she grabbed your hands and held them between her own. “Y--you really think that? You really think that I’m pretty?” 

“Of course I do! I think you're one of the prettiest girls in the school. Everyone thinks you're gorgeous,” you said with a warm smile.

“You're so awesome!” She looked down and blushed as she released your hands. “Sorry about that. I got a little over excited. So, what are you going to do? It seems like someone really doesn't want you hanging out with Amber. Which, if she’s the one I'm thinking of, that could be any number of people.” 

She was right. You weren’t the only person in school to have their eyes on Amber. She was one of the most popular girls in school. A lot of girls and guys alike wanted to be with her whether they would outright admit it or not. She just had that cool personality that everyone liked even if they didn’t particularly like her boyish look.

“For right now, I’m just going to do my best to ignore this and make sure Amber doesn’t see this. She doesn’t need the extra stress on her right now.” You bent down and retrieved the lock that had slipped through your grasp before. 

Skye stood flustered as she watched you. Her cheeks turned pink as she smiled. “You must really care for her to be that concerned for her when you’re the one being bullied.”

“Of course I care about her. She’s my friend,” you said in a forced nonchalant tone as you clicked the lock back into place.

“She’s a lucky friend then,” Skye whispered to herself. She glanced down at the notebook still in her hand and smiled softly. “Well, I must be going. I’ll make sure to return these to you tomorrow. Thanks again, (Your Name).”

She swiftly turned around and walked down the hall to the exit. Her long, blonde hair captivated you as it swished back and forth across her back. Reaching up and taking a few strands of your own hair between your fingers, you couldn’t help but feel jealous. You always wondered how she managed to keep her hair so perfect throughout the entire school day.

“Ugh. This is no time to be worrying about my hair. I have other things that I need to settle,” you said to yourself as you walked away from your locker.

You pulled your phone from your pocket and sent a text to your best friend stating that you had to discuss something really important with her regarding your mysterious note leaver. Whoever was behind all of this, you had to find them and make sure they were stopped before things got out of hand. The last thing you needed was yourself, or anyone else for that matter, being hurt.

You were so sure before that Nick was behind everything, but now, you weren’t so sure. There was no way he could have left the note in your locker. You two went to different schools. While he did give off a creeper vibe, he didn’t seem dedicated enough to miss his own classes just to leave a nasty note in your locker. Not to mention this kind of note didn’t really seem to be his style. Last time you checked, he was into you not Amber. Plus, how would he even know which locker was yours? It had to be someone from your school. The more you mulled over it, the more questions arose with no real answers. 

A figure stood at the end of the hall and watched as you left the building. They slowly crept up the hallway and stood in front of your locker. They slipped on a pair of latex gloves hidden away in their shorts pocket for easy access. Once the gloves were secure, they lifted the lock and inserted a key into the keyhole in the back. The lock instantly clicked open, and they chuckled to themselves as they removed the useless piece of metal and hooked it onto their bag. They opened the door to your locker and removed the contraption hidden in the crevices. They carefully stuffed the wires into their opened bag. 

“You worked like a charm. Unfortunately, I had a witness I wasn’t planning on. That’s fine. She will be dealt with later if need be. Right now, all that matters is that my beloved Amber is free from that conniving witch. She thinks she’s so hot. She just pops up out of nowhere and thinks she can steal from me what I have been building for an entire year? Not going to happen. I’ll make her life a living hell until she disappears,” they chuckled to themselves. 

They pulled a rag and a spray bottle from their bag. After squirting the rag with a strong smelling, clear liquid they proceeded to wipe down the words present on the back of the locker. The paint came off with ease after just a couple of wipe downs. Smirking at their achievement, they returned their cleanup tools to their proper place in the bag. 

“There. Evidence is now gone. Well, minus this mess on the floor. Thank goodness for the janitor,” they said to themselves as they closed the locker door. They clicked the lock back into place and admired their work. “Oops! Almost forgot! You can never be too safe.”

They removed another rag and bottle from the bag. Turning the knob for a steady spray, they sprayed down the lock and the locker. With the clean rag, they wiped down the entire locker from top to bottom. They wiped off the sweat from their brow with the back of their gloved hand.

“There we go! Now, no fingerprints. I’m so clever. Take that, (Your Name). That will teach you to mess with Beth-Anne!” Her laugh was loud, hysteric, and echoed throughout the empty hall.

As she hoisted her bag over her other shoulder, she replaced the newly used items and slipped off her gloves. She tossed them into the top of her bag before zipping it closed. Beth-Anne walked down the hall and exited the building with a large smile on her face. She was quite proud of herself and her success. She was one step closer to having Amber all to herself. All she had to do was get rid of you, and Amber would go back to giving her the attention she greatly deserved. Her plan was perfect. There wasn’t anyone or anything that could stop her from retrieving her prize.

“Hey, you with the bag filled with hidden goodies,” a male voice called out to her from behind.

Oh no. Was she caught? Did someone manage to see her? That voice sounded like a teacher’s. Shit. What was she going to do?

A fake smile donned her face as she turned around and looked at the person sweetly. A tall, handsome, young man stood in front of her with his hand cocked on his hip. His hair sat perfectly on his head, and his smile was gorgeous. Beth-Anne’s heart skipped a beat in her chest as he looked at her. What did someone like that want with her?

“Umm...hi? Did you need something from me?” she asked nervously as she gripped her bag strap tighter.

His smile turned wicked as his eyes grew dark. “Actually, in a way, yes. I came to offer you a proposition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the "kudos" and reads! I really appreciate the support! I love you all, and I'll see you in the next update! ^w^


	15. Red

Gripping your pillow tightly in your arms you leaned forward and tried to enjoy its cool comfort. Your best friend sat in the computer chair next to your bed. She sat in silence as her arms rested on the back of the backwards chair. She was unsure what to say in response to you confiding in her about the threats you received. 

“Jeez. This is getting pretty deep, isn’t it? Almost like one you’d only see in a drama,” she said awkwardly trying to break the silence.

“Well, I would prefer less drama in my life right now,” you said as your body shook to hold back the tears that so desperately awaited their long awaited escape. 

Your nails dug deeper into the plush of your pillow as you gripped it tighter. It was taking everything in your being to hold back the inevitable. 

“You can’t let them get to you, (Your Name). You can’t let them win,” she said in a consoling tone.

“I can’t help it. I--I’m scared,” your voice cracked.

Small sniffles broke through your defenses and signaled your tears to follow suit. You buried your face in your pillow and let out muffled sobs. Your best friend immediately jumped up from the comfort of her chair and sat down next to you on the bed. She wrapped her arms around you tightly pulling you close to her. She brushed her fingers softly down your back while telling you that everything was going to be okay. 

You felt silly for breaking down like this in front of her, but it couldn’t be helped. You tried really hard to keep up a cheerful face for Amber’s sake. Seeing her on the verge of tears just the other day opened your eyes. You realized that, just like yourself, she was only human and had a multitude of feelings other than the ones she showed everyone. You held it all in to keep her from feeling worse about the situation, but now, you couldn’t hold it back any longer. The floodgates had opened.

“Hey,” your friend called out to you as she pried the top of your face from your death grip on your pillow. She stared down into your red, wet eyes and gave you a soft smile. “Why don’t we go do something fun like shopping for a dress for you to wear for Homecoming? I know you said you weren’t going to go, but we need to show these guys that you’re not afraid of them. How does that sound?”

Mumbled words escaped your mouth between all the sobs and gasps for air. Listening carefully, your best friend managed to make out most of what you said. She sighed as her eyes turned cold.

“Well, too bad. You're going anyway,” she said callously. 

You glared at her over the top of the pillow. Between the watery eyes and the puffiness of your face, she couldn't take your anger face seriously. She hopped off the bed so quickly it jarred you and almost made you topple over. She swiftly snatched your phone up from the nightstand.

“Your ‘glare of hatred’ isn’t going to work on me!” she said as she waved your phone in front of your face.

“Wait a minute!” you yelled out as you wiped the remaining tears from your eyes. “What are you doing with that?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know!” she said as she stuck her tongue out at you and sprinted from the room.

You huffed and tossed your pillow aside. Whatever she was up to, it couldn't be good and knowing her it involved Amber. As the thought crossed your mind, you felt you heart slowly heart sink into the pit of your stomach. Oh no. She was going to ask Amber to the Homecoming dance in your stead.

Immediately, you jumped out of your bed and exited the room. Frantically searching for her, you caught a small snippet of your message received tone coming from the bathroom. You reached out and jiggled the doorknob but no luck. She had locked herself in there. 

Beating on the door, you shouted, “Give me back my phone!”

“Not until I'm done,” she responded nonchalantly as if she wasn't doing anything wrong. 

“(Your Best Friend’s Name), I’m serious. If you message Amber asking her to the dance, I will never speak to you again.” You were frustrated enough at that point to truly honor that statement. Why did she do this every time? For once, you wished she would consider your feelings before just running off and doing what she felt was the best thing for you. You didn’t want her misguided help.

“I’m not asking her to the dance, silly. Calm down. At least it got you out of bed,” she said as you heard the lock click. The door swung open, and she stood there with a large, goofy smile on her face. She held out her hand and tapped you on the top of your head with your phone. “Now, stop letting this get to you. Wash your face and get ready so we can shop for some dresses. Maybe we can find some cute ones for cheap at Goodwill.”

Tears welled up in your eyes again as you stood there confused. If she wasn’t messaging Amber about the Homecoming dance then what was she doing with your phone?

“Oh! You may want to hurry. I asked Amber, and she said she was free this afternoon so she’ll be over in a few minutes to go shopping with us,” she giggled as she walked past you and down the hall back to your room.

Panic filled your face as her words sunk in. “You did what?!”

~~~~~~~

“Just so we’re clear, I hate you,” you whispered to your friend as you all entered the store.

“No you don’t. You love me. I’m helping you to not be so shy around her. Now, go!” she whispered back as she shoved you to the side forcing you to bump into Amber.

Amber’s arms wrapped around your shoulders as she caught you. “Woah. You two should be careful. We don’t need anyone getting hurt.”

“R--right,” you stuttered. 

Amber chuckled as she released you. “You’re so cute.”

It felt as though an arrow shot you in the heart as her words resonated in your head. Cute… She called you cute again! Your demeanor instantly perked up as sparkles formed in your eyes. You grabbed Amber and your best friend’s hands and dragged them to the back of the store. All it took was Amber’s warmhearted compliments to make you feel like you could do anything.

“This place is bigger than I expected,” Amber said. “I don’t usually thrift shop, but it sounded like a lot of fun.”

“Thrift shopping is the best! I get great cosplay ideas and materials really cheap when I shop here. You’d be surprised at the stuff you find…” your best friend trailed off as an outfit caught her eye. She veered in that direction leaving Amber and yourself alone.

“What about you? Do you shop here a lot?” Amber asked you curiously.

“Occasionally. I like cosplaying as well. (Your Best Friend’s Name) makes really awesome outfits for me. Plus, you can find some really cute things for really cheap if you look hard enough,” you responded as you continued to lead Amber to the formal area.

The right back wall was lined with dresses in every color that you could imagine while the left side carried matching suits. It had been a while since you had been into the store so the selection caught you by surprise. With as many formal dances going on right now, you didn’t expect them to have so many in stock. Looks like today was going to be your lucky day in the dress department. Though, you weren’t sure what good that was. You didn’t have a date to the dance so what was the point?

Amber walked up to the dresses and stopped in front of the red ones. She tilted her head and looked back at you then looked back at the dresses. You stood there a bit perplexed by what you were witnessing. Was Amber asking for your approval on a dress for herself? While a dress on Amber would be gorgeous, you assumed that she wasn’t the type to wear one.

“I’m surprised you’re going to the dance. I was originally going to pass on it myself, but if I have friends there then it may be worth going to,” she said as she pulled a dress off the rack. 

It was a vibrant red that shimmered in the light of the store. She held the dress up to herself which stopped at her knees. The top sported a sweetheart bust line and skinny straps. A large bow was situated in the middle of the dress while the bottom poofed out in a cute a-line. 

“Here,” she said holding it out to you. “I think you should try this one on. It looks like it should fit you.” Her face turned a light shade of red which you only assumed was due to the light reflecting off the dress.

“Umm...okay,” you responded shyly as you accepted the dress from her. This dress was very vibrant and a bit more daring than you were looking for. You would definitely stick out at the dance if you wore something like that. Then again, was that really such a bad thing?

You opened the door to a nearby dressing room and stepped inside. After closing the door behind you, Amber told you that she wanted to see the dress on you once you had tried it on. Heat built up in your face as you quickly undressed. You slipped the dress on feet first. As you pulled it up your body, you pushed your arms through the straps. Once it was situated on your chest you reached behind you for the zipper. After multiple fumbling attempts, you took the small piece of annoying metal in your hand and struggled to move it up your back.

You huffed as you twisted and contorted your body in ways you were pretty sure your body shouldn’t. Unable to get it to move up further, you sighed. Now what were you going to do? You cracked open the door and looked around for your best friend but couldn’t see her. You said her name softly hoping she was nearby.

“Is something wrong?” Amber asked as her head perked up from one of the racks.

Your face turned an even deeper red as you felt yourself becoming embarrassed. “W--well, I need a bit of help with the zipper.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you just ask me, silly?” she chuckled.

She walked over to the dressing room and pulled the door open more. She looked down at you with bright, brown eyes and smiled. You could feel your heart melting like it always did when she was around. You broke out of your daze and turned around, giving her access to the zipper. Her fingers caressed your back as they gripped the troublesome zipper. The sensation made you shiver uncontrollably.

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to tickle you,” Amber said as she pulled the zipper up.

“I--it’s fine!” you said in a higher tone than you expected.

Amber looked at your face in the mirror and noticed your bright red cheeks. “I don’t know why you’re embarrassed. We’re both girls. Besides, it’s not like I’ve never seen you naked before.”

Your mind went blank as Amber’s words seeded themselves in your mind. No need to be embarrassed. She’s already seen you naked. Already seen you naked… The day in the locker room flashed in your mind. You remembered the way she looked; the way the water slipped down the curves of her body. You felt your mind go into overdrive and start smoking as it tried to process your thoughts.

“Wow!” Amber exclaimed which jogged you from your internal overheating. “You look amazing! That color really looks good on you. You can never go wrong with red. That’s why it’s my favorite color.”

You looked up and stared at your reflection in the mirror. You couldn’t believe your eyes. There was no way that was really you standing there. You stepped forward and stared into your own (your eye color) eyes. The red in the dress really made them shimmer and pop. A smile danced across your lips as you continued to admire yourself in the mirror.

“Have you tried it on yet? I figured you probably needed help with the zipper,” your best friend called out as she knocked on the door.

Amber turned around and opened the door allowing your friend access to the small room. A shocked look took over your friend’s face as she looked up at Amber standing there in the doorway of the dressing room. She smiled and you caught a glimpse of her bringing her hand up to her hip to give you a small thumbs up in the mirror’s reflection. You rolled your eyes at her reaction. It figures that she would take all of this the wrong way. You knew you were going to hear it later.

You turned around allowing your skirt to billow out around you. “So, what do you think?”

“That color is so pretty! It’s really bold too. Good job! I guess I’m rubbing off on you in a good way,” she said cheekily.

“A--actually, Amber picked it out for me. Red is her favorite color,” you said.

“Oh, well then.” She turned to Amber and placed her hand on her shoulder. “You have great taste. Thank you for pulling her out of her shell.”

“(Your Best Friend’s Name)!” you exclaimed.

Amber started to giggle at the two of you interacting with one another. “No problem. I love listening to you two tease each other. You two are almost like sisters.”

“Hmm...well, we have been friends for a while now. I can tell you so many stories,” she said as she grabbed Amber’s arm and pulled her out of the dressing room.

“Ooh. I like stories,” Amber laughed as she exited the room with your best friend.

The door shut behind them, and you stood there with your mouth wide open. What just happened? When did those two become so close? Taking in a deep breath, you sighed. You just hoped that whatever your best friend decided to tell Amber, it wouldn’t be that embarrassing.

Once Amber and your best friend were out of your earshot and back to the formal area of the store, your best friend cleared her throat. “So, Amber, who do you plan on taking to the Homecoming Dance?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it,” she said as she thumbed through the suits on the rack.

“You should go with, (Your Name),” she said nonchalantly. “She doesn’t have a date.”

Amber froze at your best friend’s statement. She should ask you to the dance? Would that really be okay? Your best friend did know you better than anyone, but Amber was still unsure if she should trust her statement.

“Don’t be silly,” Amber responded. “She’s my friend. Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“Not really. Friends got to these events together all the time. I can’t go with her because my boyfriend is going to be there. I don’t want her to be left out. Besides, I know for a fact that she isn’t planning on asking anyone,” she smiled as the last words left her lips.

“Really?” Amber asked as she buried her face further into the clothes to hide her reddening face.

“Yep! I also know that no one else has asked her yet. She’s almost guaranteed to say yes. I just know that she would love to go with you,” your best friend said in a cheery tone as she tried to instigate Amber.

“You’re sure that she won’t think that I’m weird?” she asked hoping for consolation.

Your best friend placed her hand on Amber’s shoulder and said, “I promise, Amber. I’m not the type of girl to start stuff. Don’t worry about it too much and just ask her. I mean, that is, if you want to.”

“I think it would be fun to go with her. I didn’t go last year because no one I hung out with was going. It would be nice to actually go this year,” Amber said as the red left her cheeks, and she pulled her face from the clothes.

“I went with her last year! It was a lot of fun! It’s great watching the others dance to crappy music. It’s even better to request K-pop music that isn’t ‘Gangnam Style’ and watching the masses be confused,” she giggled.

Amber smiled. “You’re a strange girl, you know that?”

Your best friend fanned herself with her hand and had a fake insulted expression on her face. She said in a southern accent, “Why I never!” as she dramatically turned her head to the side. Amber burst into laughter as you walked up beside them with the dress in hand.

“What’s so funny?” you asked concerned about what your best friend had said while you were fighting with the zipper on your dress.

“Just laughing at something (Your Best Friend’s Name) did. Sorry,” she said as she cleared her throat in an attempt to stop the laughter.

“No need to be sorry. I was just curious. I didn’t want my best friend to betray my trust and tell you embarrassing stories. That's all,” you said as you shot your best friend a knowing look.

“I didn’t tell Amber anything. Jeez,” she said as she stuck her tongue out at you. “You’re such a worrywort. You should know me better than that.”

“That’s the point,” you responded as you narrowed your eyes at her. You just had this gut feeling that she was up to something. She always was.

“Anyway, I’m going back to grab that dress that I saw. I think I could modify it and turn it into the perfect Mememe-chan dress!” she said excitedly as she left you and Amber alone again.

Amber and yourself stood there in an awkward silence that became deafening. Why was Amber being so quiet now that your friend left? Maybe she really did say something embarrassing about you. Dammit, (Your Best Friend’s Name). You would have to discuss this with her later. 

“Umm...thank you for helping me find a dress,” you said in an attempt to end the quiet surrounding the both of you.

“Oh! You’re welcome. I’m really glad you liked it. You looked really pretty in it,” she said as she flashed a smile to hopefully hide her pink cheeks.

“T--Thank you!” you stammered as you looked down at your feet. 

“Hey, would you mind helping me pick a suit? Do you think white or black would go better with your dress?” Amber asked as she pushed another set of suits aside on the rack.

“Hmm...probably black. Wait...with my dress?” you asked curiously.

“Yes. I was hoping that you and I could go together. That way, both of us would have someone to hang out with during the dance. Would that be okay with you?” she asked you in a cool tone. She was struggling to keep her voice from giving away how nervous she actually was.

Your heart froze in your chest as your mind short circuited once again. Amber wanted to go to the dance with...you? Inside, your emotions fluttered around as you jumped for joy. On the outside, you gave Amber a huge smile and tried your best to hide your excited tone. You didn’t want to sound too eager. She would probably think that you were being weird about it.

“Yeah. Sure. That would be great,” you responded as calmly as possible.

“Great! Now, help me pick out a suit. I want us both to look our best if we’re going to impress everyone,” Amber said as she took a suit off the rack.

Your mind was on the fritz. It was difficult to contain your bountiful amounts of excitement but for good reason! You were really going to the dance with Amber. You had a sneaking suspicion that your best friend was behind all of this, but at the moment you didn’t care. You had another date with Amber, and this time it would be in front of the whole school. Whoever was sending you those nasty messages was going to get a rude awakening. 

At that moment, you had decided. You weren't going to be scared. You weren’t going to back down. You weren’t going to give up. You were going to fight for the one you loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for continuing to support me! Thank you for the comments, bookmarks, and kudos! It keeps me motivated when I know that there are people out there who enjoy my work! As always, I love you all, and thank you for reading!


	16. All According to Plan

Two jilted teens sat in a parked car just outside of the thrift store your group was browsing. They waited impatiently for you all to finally leave so they could continue to follow you to the next stop on your outing. They had already followed you home from the school, and you were none the wiser. Their plan was to continue to follow you around to make sure that everything with Nick's plan fell into place perfectly.

Nick was leaned back in his seat with his feet propped up on the car's dash. A baseball cap with your area's college team logo on the front covered his eyes from the setting afternoon sun. Although to Beth-Anne he appeared to be sleeping, he was carefully listening in on your conversation. Through some connections and bribes at his school he acquired some high tech (and possibly illegal) equipment to spy on you with. An application was constantly running on his phone and sending a broadcast of your conversation with Amber straight to a headset in his ear.

He grit his teeth as he overheard Amber's dance proposal to you. His fingers gripped the seat belt still situated across his chest. They clenched around the belt with enough strength to turn his knuckles white. He had already expected this to happen but hearing it first hand made it sting a little bit more. You blatantly lied to him about not going. Oh, well. You going was all a part of the plan anyway so you were unintentionally doing exactly what he needed you to. 

Beth-Anne fidgeted in her seat as the car filled with complete, agonizing silence. Her foot tapped against the car mat on the floorboard as she became more agitated with each passing second. She huffed and sighed as she constantly looked from Nick to the door of the store and back to him. What in the hell was he doing just sitting there quietly? What was going on in the store, and why wasn't he telling her anything? Did he fall asleep at such a critical time for them?

Beth-Anne couldn't take the silence any longer and poked him on the shoulder repeatedly. "Hey. What's going on in there?"

Nick held up his index finger to shush her as he listened intently into his headset. The girls inside the store were discussing plans for Homecoming, and the last thing he needed was for Beth-Anne's big mouth to impede his investigation. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss a single bit of important information. If he was going to succeed, he needed to time everything right. He didn't need anything unexpected to pop up and bite him in the ass later.

"Hellooooo. I asked you a question. What is going on?" Beth-Anne repeated in an annoyed tone.

Frustrated by her incessant pestering, Nick tipped up the bill of his cap and stared at her. "What."

"There. You finally acknowledge that I'm still here. What is going on in there? Or do you even know? You didn't decide to take a nap, did you?" Beth-Anne asked in a calmer tone.

Nick ignored her as he tried to focus in on the remainder of your conversation. The sound of a cash register sounded over the headset only angering him more. That dumb bitch. Thanks to her, he probably missed something important. For the sake of their mission, she better hope that he hadn't.

"Well, if you would keep your big mouth shut and just let me do my job then we would know what was going on. But thanks to you, we probably missed something. Damn," he said as he pulled the ear bud out of his ear and tossed it on the dash.

"What? You can't blame that on me, dumbass. Learn to multitask," she huffed.

Nick sat up straight in his seat and stretched out his back. He cut his eyes at Beth-Anne giving her a sinister glare. "You really want to know what they were discussing?" he taunted.

"Of course I do. That's the whole reason why I asked," she said.

"Amber just asked (Your Name) to the Homecoming dance at your school this coming weekend," he paused as he relished in watching her snooty expression change to disdain. "I was trying to find out what their plan was before you interrupted. Who's the dumbass now?"

His voice was callous and purposefully hateful. She was only a pawn in his game. There was no need to be nice to her. Once she had lived out her usefulness, he was planning to just toss her aside. The only reason they were even working together was they had a common goal, and if all else failed he had someone for the blame to fall on.

"Oh..." her voice trailed as the gravity of what just happened sunk in. Amber was really going to the dance with that ugly girl from the cheerleading squad? Beth-Anne shook her head violently. There was no way that was possible. Amber said she wasn't going to the dance when she had asked her. She wouldn't lie to her. She would never do anything to hurt her.

Amber, your best friend, and you walked out of the store with your dress and other accoutrements in hand. Beth-Anne's eyes were glued to you and your haul. They carefully followed your movements to the car. There was no way. That dress had to be for something else. Amber would never stoop so low as to date someone like you. As she examined you from head to toe she kept reassuring herself how much better than you she was.

Nick focused on Amber's movements and took in deep breaths to hold back the rage as the nice suit in her hand sashayed into his field of vision. It was all a part of his plan, he told himself over and over again. He angrily turned the key in the ignition. The car started abruptly making Beth-Anne jump in her seat. If Nick's car was anything, it wasn't quiet. She didn't understand the point in having such a nice car if it growled every time you started it.

Readjusting in her seat, that's when Beth-Anne saw it. It was the reason for Nick's quick temper. The suit and bowtie cradled in Amber's arms matched perfectly with the color of your dress. Her heart slowly sunk into the pit of her stomach. No. This couldn't be. There was no way that Amber betray her like this. You didn't feel the way she did about Amber. You didn't deserve her. You didn't deserve the privilege of even speaking to Amber.

Her mouth dropped open and tears slowly started to trickle down her warm cheeks. How could she? How could Amber do this to her? Beth-Anne wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her eyes grew colder the longer she stared at you. You. This was all your fault. You had bewitched her Amber. If it was the last thing she did, you were not going to get away with this.

"Well, we aren't just going to let them go, are we? We have to stop this!" Beth-Anne panicked.

"Don't worry. Just because we're letting them go now doesn't mean that we won't stop at nothing to keep them apart. In any case, it looks like you need to step up your tactics. Whatever warning you sent (Your Name) didn't work well enough," Nick said calmly as he took in deep breaths and ripped the earpiece from his ear.

"I planted a glitter bomb in her locker and threatened her. It was better than what you did," she scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Are you sure about that?" he smirked.

He turned the key in the ignition and started the car. He backed out of the parking spot as Beth-Anne sat there speechless. What in the world was he talking about? As far as she knew, all he did was write words on your lawn and key Amber's car. While she wasn't so thrilled about the latter she let it slide since it was for the cause. Leaving a small distance between the two vehicles, he slowly followed behind you.

"You sure are confident for a guy that can't even get a date with a geek like her. Why are you so bent out of shape over her anyway?" Beth-Anne asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Her comment wiped the smirk off his face and was replaced with a menacing glare. "Why are you so caught up on that thieving carpet muncher?"

"You better watch what you say about Amber. I'm only working with you because we both want each of them for ourselves. Besides, I asked you first so answer first," she huffed.

"Why do you want to know so bad? Our purpose here is to achieve our goal not become besties and gossip," he retorted.

"Ugh. Wow. Can't we converse like human beings? Oh. Wait. I forgot. You're not human. You're a villain. You probably have some disgusting reason for wanting her this badly. Nevermind that I even asked," she said as she turned away from him and stared out the passenger window.

"Disgusting? I don't have a disgusting reason. It's more of a pride thing. I have always gotten everything I have wanted. Everything except for her. She has rejected me since Day 1. I have girls lining around the block wanting a shot with me, but she barely gave me the time of day. I flirted with her jokingly one day but seeing her absolute disinterest in me made me want to try even harder. She'll be my Ultimate Conquest," he smiled.

His distorted smile made Beth-Anne shiver. She had some devious methods to getting what she wanted, but at least she was serious about wanting to be with Amber. She wanted them to be a legitimate couple not some notch on her belt. Nick was more twisted than she initially thought. She was taken aback by his callous response, but she couldn't let it show. She couldn't let him see that his words terrified her.

"Hah. And here I was thinking you actually had some real reasons behind wanting to be with her. Shame on me for thinking you had any virtues," she scoffed.

"Oh? And what's your reason? Let me guess, you love her? Puh-lease. If you truly did then you wouldn't be clinging to her like a lost puppy. You wouldn't be planting bombs in your rival's locker. You know what I think? You're just a sore loser," he shot back.

She gasped and brought her crossed arms closer to her chest. "Whatever. Let's just get this whole thing over with so I don't have to see you anymore."

Nick agreed with her and turned on the radio to drown her out before she could say another word. If he didn't need her assistance he wouldn't have even thought about talking to her. Her voice was nasally and grated on his nerves. She was the type of girl he always avoided. She was super clingy, annoying, and not even close to his convoluted standards of pretty.

Regardless of his own feelings about the situation, she was still a valuable asset in achieving his goal of acquiring you as his playmate. That is for a night at least. Maybe even more if you proved to be worth the trouble. He might even decide to give you the privilege of being his permanent girlfriend. He had never had to work this hard to get a woman before. He was enjoying the rush of the chase. It was exhilarating and exciting. It was the first time in his life he had ever had to work so hard just to get something he desired.

Beth-Anne's muffled voice broke him out of his daze. Nick couldn't make out a single word, but honestly, did he even want to? Every word out of her mouth just drove him even further over the small ledge he was on. He just had to remember that all of this was for a purpose. All of this was for his prize. You.

"You know what? Forget it. You're obviously not paying attention anyway. I hope that cop behind you arrests you for reckless driving," Beth-Anne scoffed.

The faint sound of sirens desperately tried to push past the loud sound of bad music emanating from Nick's speakers. Nick looked in his rearview mirror and caught glimpse of the flashing lights behind him. Dammit. Of all times for this to happen.

Nick casually turned down the radio and pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road. The police car behind him slowed down to a halt. Nick reached over to the glove compartment to pull out his registration and insurance card. The officer walked up to the car and tapped his knuckle on the driver window. Nick put on a large smile and rolled down the windows.

"License, registration, and proof of insurance, please," the young officer said in a strong voice.

"Already got it out for you, officer. May I ask what it is that I've done?" Nick asked very cordially.

The rapid change in tone caught Beth-Anne off guard. Who was this man sitting next to her, and what did he do with Nick? This man sounded refined and well mannered. He was very different from the cursing mad boy from just moments earlier.

"I watched you run that red light back there," he responded as he took the documents from Nick. Looking over the insurance card, a name struck a chord with the young officer. "Umm...Mr. Archer, your father wouldn't happen to be Senator Archer, would he?"

Nick laughed shyly. "The one and only. I'm so glad that nice pay increase he just signed into bill for all of you is paying off. Keep up the good work fellas."

The young officer's expression changed immediately from stoic to frightened. This boy was the son of the man that held his very living in his hands. Writing this boy a ticket was well above his pay grade, and he did not want to handle it. He had only had this job for a few months, and the last thing he needed was to jeopardize it over some hundred dollar ticket that would probably just get shoved under a rug anyway.

"Well then, Mr. Archer, please give your father my regards. Just pay more attention to the roads. Someone could have gotten hurt," he said sweating as he handed Nick his documents back.

"Of course. I apologize. My friend and I were enjoying the music a bit too much. I didn't even notice that the light had changed. I'll pay more attention next time," Nick said as he flashed the officer a smile that easily passed as genuine.

The officer nodded his head to Nick before walking back to his squad car. Beth-Anne sat wide eyed next to him. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. Nick seriously got out of a ticket by claiming the senator was his father. Clever. Maybe he was more devious than she had given him credit for.

Once the officer was back to his squad car Beth-Anne asked sarcastically, "So, your father is the senator, huh?"

"Yeah. It does come in handy sometimes," he said as he shoved his documents back into the glove box.

"Wait. You were serious?" Beth-Anne asked completely shocked. She was sure that he had just lied.

"I would never lie about my family lineage. My father is none other than Senator Archer. Why do you think I've never had to really want for anything? Once a girl hears who my father is all they can think of are dollar signs. That's why I usually just keep it a secret and rely on my good looks to get me by in life. Helps prevent a scandal that way."

Beth-Anne continued to stare at him with disbelief. This guy was not what she had expected at all. For his age, he sure was calculated and cunning. Must be a trait he gained from his politician father.

"Damn. I was not expecting that. We've lost sight of them for now. Might as well go and get something to eat. I'm pretty sure I could get some free food from work. Would you like to join me?" he asked nicely.

Beth-Anne's heart skipped a beat. His voice was actually pleasant when he was like this. It was almost unsettling. "Umm...sure? But you know you can drop the nice act."

"It takes some effort to turn it off once I've turned it on. Don't worry. I'll go back to being myself soon. Just enjoy the niceness while you can," he said as he shifted the car back into drive.

They both sat in silence as he drove on. Beth-Anne wanted to talk to him more about what he mentioned before, but the words were stuck in her throat unable to leave her mouth. What did he mean before? He implied that he had done something else in the background that she was unaware of. What was it?

They pulled into a parking spot in the front of the pizzeria. Nick turned off the engine and turned to Beth-Anne. "Okay. We need a good cover for who you are. If anyone asks, I'm tutoring you."

Beth-Anne's mouth opened as she felt insulted by his statement. "Why in the world would I say that? I'll have you know, my grades are pretty good. Probably better than yours."

"Pretty hard to beat a 5.0," he smirked.

"Wait. That's not even physically possible," Beth-Anne said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"You must not be on the Honors Scale. Shame. I pegged you for being smarter than common classes," he said smugly.

There it was. It looked like he had that shitty attitude back. Beth-Anne scoffed and angrily opened the door. "Whatever."

Both of them exited the car; one of them significantly happier than the other. He clicked the lock on his keyring making the car beep at him as he walked away. He opened the door to the restaurant and motioned for her to walk through the door first. She raised her eyebrow and stared at him.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Make up your mind. Are you going to be a decent guy or an asshole?"

"If you don't walk through this door, you'll find out the hard way. Now, ladies first," he said with gritted teeth and a forced smile.

"Okay. Okay. So bitchy," Beth-Anne said under her breath as she walked through the door.

"Welcome to Johnny's Pizza House!" a male voice called out from behind the counter.

Beth-Anne looked over and saw two beautiful brunettes standing at the counter ordering food. They chatted with the guy behind the counter whose brown hair was perfectly teased. He wore a nametag with the name "Kai" written on it. As they approached the counter, the two girls stepped aside.

The older of the two smiled as she grabbed their drink glasses from the countertop. "We'll see you when your break starts. We'll be waiting in the party room."

"Okay. See you in a few, Jessica," he said. He glanced down at the younger of the girls and winked at her. "You too, Krystal."

She blushed shyly and walked away with her sister. Nick leaned over the counter and put on his signature smile that had everyone but Beth-Anne fooled as to what lied behind it.

"If it isn't Nick. You feel like coming in on your days off now just to make the rest of us look bad?" Kai joked.

"You know me so well," Nick laughed. "No. I just wanted to stop in, and see if you could hook me up with a free pizza."

Kai chuckled. "It figures. All you ever think about is food. Yeah. We just had a wrong order come back if you want it. It's a bacon and pepperoni pizza."

"Will that be okay with you?" he asked Beth-Anne.

She nodded her head in response. She was at a loss for words. This guy changed personas like a revolving door, and she was having a hard time keeping up. It would be better for her if she just stayed quiet.

Kai turned his attention to her and looked her over. "Who's the girl? She's not your usual type."

"Don't worry. We're not together. I'm just tutoring her," Nick replied.

"For your sake, I would hope so. I figured you weren't stupid enough to bring another girlfriend in here after the incident with Tiffany," Kai said before turning around and heading to the back.

"Who's Tiffany?" Beth-Anne asked. Her curiosity was peaked and to be honest the more dirt that she could get on Mr. Perfect the better it would be for her. If they ever had a falling out then she could use it against him. Note to self: research Nick Archer as extensively as possible when she finally made it home.

"Just an old fling. It wasn't anything serious. Well, at least not for me anyway," he said casually.

Kai returned from the back with a pizza box in hand. He handed it over to Nick's outstretched hands. He smiled at Beth-Anne and said in a joking tone, "Enjoy your tutoring session."

"Haha. Very funny, Kai. You keep joking, and I may just have to tell Krystal how much you really like her," he said with a dead serious look on his face.

"Oh, come on, man. I was just kidding. No reason to bring her into this," Kai replied.

"You really should just go ahead and ask her out. It's obvious that she has a thing for you too," Nick said sincerely.

It was pretty obvious to everyone but those two that there was some unneeded tension between them. If they would just be honest with one another then everything would be fine. Oh, well. There was nothing Nick could do about it. Kai had to cross this hurdle on his own.

Both guys waved goodbye to one another as they parted ways. Beth-Anne followed behind Nick as they left the restaurant. She just couldn't wrap her head around this guy. One minute he was a great friend, and the next he was a royal jackass. He flip flopped around more than a fish out of water. She couldn't get a good read off of him which didn't spell good news to her.

Lost in thought, she bumped into a teenager turning the corner. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, no. That's perfectly fine," the boy said as he flipped his bangs back into place.

Nick turned his head and looked behind him. He immediately smiled to himself when he recognized the guy standing there. "Dude! I haven't seen you in forever! How's it been, man?"

Nick turned on his heel and strode over towards them. The teenager stared at him inquisitively for a moment then smiled back once he recognized him. "Hey, Nick! I haven't seen you in what, two years now?"

"Yeah, it's definitely been a while. What are you doing back so soon? I thought you weren't coming back for at least another year?" Nick questioned.

"I'm just visiting. I managed to catch up on enough school work to take a small break. Plus, you know that I had to come home and bother my sister." There was a sweetness in his voice that caught Beth-Anne by surprise. He was different from her brother who always seemed to enjoy torturing her as much as possible when he decided to come home. Whoever this guy's sister was, she was a lucky girl.

"How is your sister doing?" Nick asked curiously.

"She's doing pretty good. I think she has a girlfriend now. At least, I hope she becomes her girlfriend one day. They look so cute together," he gushed.

"I see. So, we should totally hang out while you're here. You owe me for not telling me when you were going to be back in town, you ass." Nick shuffled the pizza to one arm and playfully punched him with his free hand.

"Alright, alright. I'll be sure to text you later on today and let you know. Right now, I gotta pick up some dinner. I haven't had this in so long. I missed it," he said as his stomach growled in retaliation.

"Of course. Go enjoy some pizza. Kai is working today so you may even be able to get a free one out of him. Later, man!" Nick waved as his previous classmate entered the restaurant.

Beth-Anne once again followed behind Nick's lead. She was lost in thought as she entered the car. She unconsciously grabbed slices of pizza from the box and munched on them. She couldn't understand what it was like to have a kind brother, and she was jealous. Hers made her never want to return home. She just kept reminding herself that she only had a couple of years left before she could legally move. Then she could leave his sorry ass behind to continue milking their parents dry as he pursued his "dreams". What a crock of shit.

Nick reached down and grabbed his own slice of pizza. As he took a bite, he couldn't help but relish in the fact that a pleasant surprise had been sprung upon him. The timing was impeccable, and he couldn't have asked for better. This was absolutely perfect. This made his plan that much easier to enact. He laughed out loud completely catching Beth-Anne off guard, making her jump in her seat almost losing her slice of pizza. This plan was going to be even better than he had originally hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I am back with a new update! :3 I hope you all had a great Halloween!
> 
> So, for those who don't know yet, I have recently been hired to write the story for a visual novel and an upcoming animation. This is really exciting for me! My dream is to be a writer, and it's slowly coming to fruition. I still plan to focus some of my time on this book. I want to finish it. It's been such a great story.
> 
> You all are the best readers I could ask for. Thank you all for the continued support. I really appreciate it. I love all of your comments. :3 
> 
> I hope to see you all in the next update! I love you all! I hope you all have a great day! ^w^


	17. Mask

Marking through another day on the calendar, you could feel your excitement building up. Just one more day. You capped your pen and tossed it onto your dresser. You flopped backwards onto your bed and stared up at the ceiling fan spinning around in circles.

“I can't believe this is really happening,” you whispered to yourself.

So much had happened over the course of just a few weeks. Everything was moving so fast and was almost unbelievable. If it wasn't for the numerous pinch marks on your arm, you would believe that this all to be just a dream. 

The whole day went by like a blur and had been exhausting. You used a lot of energy cheering for the football team today. You gave it your all even though you could honestly care less about the team, and if they won or not. You had to keep up the appearances or Brittany was going to chew you out for not having enough spirit.

Crickets and cicadas chirped outside your window. You closed your eyes and took in the quiet, calming night sounds. A sweet smell filled your nostrils and made your body feel heavy. It was an odd feeling, but your entire body felt completely relaxed. You were enjoying every moment of the peacefulness that surrounded you. You slowly drifted off into a heavy sleep. 

A knock sounded at your door, but you were too conked out to hear it. You were already frolicking through the land of dreams. Your brother creaked open the door and peeked inside when you didn't respond. He looked over at your sleeping body and chuckled to himself. 

“You're still such a child,” he whispered as he entered the room.

He tiptoed across the floor and stopped at the edge of your bed. He placed his arms underneath your back and lifted you up off the bed. He shifted your body up the bed and laid your head on your pillow. As he pulled the covers over you, you shifted and rolled over onto your side snoring softly. 

He softly stepped backwards and reached up to pull the string from your light. He knew that you loved to sleep with the ceiling fan on even if it was cold. He clicked the light off and exited your bedroom. He closed the door softly behind him and trotted down the stairs. 

A teenager sat on the couch awaiting patiently for his friend to hurry up so that they could go hang out for the night. He heard his friend’s steps on the stairs and looked up. 

“She alright with you leaving?” he asked.

“She's out like a light. She must be exhausted after today. They had a pretty hectic game at her school today,” your brother responded as his keys jingled in his pockets as he hopped off the last step on the stairs.

“She didn't seem like the type to like football. She always struck me as the nerdy type,” he responded as he sat up straight and stretched his arms above his head.

“Yeah. It was a surprise to me when I saw her in a cheer leading outfit for the first time today. Who knew that my sister could actually pull off something like that,” he said as he grabbed his friend by the shoulder. “So, Nick, where are we going tonight?” 

Nick stood there with that grin of his that you always found to be creepy. To you, it never seemed genuine. He wore that smile like a mask to hide his true intentions from the world. Your brother though, didn’t see his smile that way. He was none the wiser to the true meaning behind it.

Nick waved his finger in front of your brother’s face. “I can't ruin the surprise. You're gonna have a hell of a good time though.”

Both boys walked out of the house together laughing quietly and joking around. Nick waved his arms around above his head like he was dancing and had your brother laughing about how he had no rhythm. Nick chuckled and looked past your brother to the bushes separating your house from your neighbor's. He nodded his head and pulled your brother to the car. 

A shadowed figure slunk through the bushes and waited in the shadows of the house until the car left the driveway. Once they were gone she lifted her head and looked around. There was no one around. Good. This should be quick then. 

Beth-Anne pulled the mask up over her mouth and pulled down the hood over the top of her head. Dressed in all black, she was ready to go. She thought back to Nick’s words from earlier in the week. She was to go inside and cause a small ruckus. Something that would scare little miss cheerleader some more.

Beth-Anne snuck up to the door and turned the knob. It opened without any resistance. Good. Nick made sure the door was unlocked. That made things a bit easier. She pushed open the door quietly and walked inside the darkened house.

Looking around at the perfectly placed furniture, she couldn't help but be envious. She held her phone up to the pictures on the wall and studied the smiling faces staring back at her. You had everything she could ever want in life. You had a family that loved you. You weren't ostracized for being different. You were happy.

“Dammit. I need to focus,” she said to herself quietly.

She gripped the railing to the stairs and took slow steps up them. With every picture she saw on the wall, the angrier she could feel herself becoming. Why couldn't her life be this simple? Why couldn't she have the things you did? 

Beth-Anne had never had a quiet home life as long as she could remember. If it wasn't her parents fighting then it was her brother throwing things. Her life was filled with chaos. She had to adapt, or she had no chance of surviving in her household. Even still, her brother made her life hell no matter what she did. She recalled the numerous times he pushed her, taunted her, and teased her over every little thing.

“Calm down, Beth-Anne. No need to blow up over nothing,” she said in an effort to calm herself down before she did something she would regret.

That’s exactly what her family was. They were nothing. They were pathetic and lived in a world of delusions. Her parents were the worst. They let her brother do whatever he wanted because he had huge aspirations of being a musician. All her brother did was party and usually came back home so drunk that he couldn’t even walk straight. She was so tempted to just let him choke on his own vomit in his sleep.

Beth-Anne reached the top of the stairs and opened the first door she saw. She clicked on the light and stared back at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The girl staring back at her was her true self. Every day she put on a mask and tried to forget everything that was going on around her. She tried her best to fit in. No one even gave her the chance until Amber. 

Amber was always popular especially among the girls in the school. They all loved her unique style and the fact that she fought hard against gender roles. She was their hero, and she always stood up for them. She even stood up for Beth-Anne when no one else would. She truly was someone special.

Beth-Anne pulled a red, wide tipped marker from her pocket and uncapped it. She held it up above her and began writing on the mirror. Amber was the only person in the world that had ever showed her that they cared. She was the only one who understood her. That’s why, more than anything, Beth-Anne had to have her. Without her, she had nothing. She had no one. Amber was her everything, and here you were trying to take that away from her. You had to be stopped.

Beth-Anne cracked a smile hidden under her face mask and capped her marker. There. That should be enough of a message this time. She shoved the marker back into her pocket and clicked off the light to the bathroom. She walked back down the stairs and ignored the happy pictures on the wall that mocked her very existence. 

Stepping off the last stair, she noticed something hanging up in the corner of the room. Could that be? She walked up to the object to examine it better. It was. That was the dress. Using the flashlight from her phone she got a closer look at it. The bright red sparkled in the light and taunted Beth-Anne.

“So, this is the dress that Amber picked out for you,” she said. Her voice grew shakier with each word that left her lips. “It sure is pretty. It would be a shame if something bad happened to it.” 

Beth-Anne reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife she borrowed from her dad’s workshop. Clicking the knife into position, she set her phone down onto the table next to her. A part of her reminded her that this wasn’t a part of the mission. She was only supposed to send another nasty message. Though, destroying something this valuable would probably send an even better message to you.

She sliced the knife through the thin plastic protecting the fragile dress underneath. Beth-Anne ripped both of the sides open wide making her feel exhilarated. What should she do it? Cut it in random pieces? Or maybe spell out something else? She laughed to herself maniacally. No matter what she did, she knew it was going to hurt you, and that was exactly what she wanted. You needed to feel pain like she had. You needed to understand what it was like to hate your life as much as she did.

Amber was her only reason for living, and she couldn’t let you have her. You had everything she could ever ask for. How could you be so selfish to take the only thing she had left? Heat rose in Beth-Anne’s face as the anger welled up inside her. Her brother's voice echoed in her mind triggering her to start slicing away at your dress randomly.

“Loser. Braceface. Dumbass. Faggot. Queer. Piece of shit. Useless. Worthless,” his words repeated in her head as she continued unleashing a torrent of wild slices across the dress. 

All she saw around her was red. She couldn’t control her actions. She was too far gone. She knew that she needed to stop what she was doing, but her conscience was losing in the battle against her rage. 

A flash of Amber’s face popped up in her mind. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stopped waving her arm around like a crazed banshee. Freeing herself from her own frenzy, she looked at the dress. Red fabric lied in piles at her feet. The dress was thoroughly torn to ribbons. 

“Shit. I’ve got to get out of here now!” she panicked. 

She closed the knife frantically slicing her finger open through the protection of her glove. As blood trickled down her hand, she grabbed her phone with her uninjured hand and ran to the front door. She turned the flash off her camera and shoved her phone in her pocket. She ripped open the door and let it slam closed behind her. 

Beth-Anne walked away from the house with haste. She had to get away from there as fast as possible. As she walked down the deserted street she pulled the glove from her hand. Blood was stuck to the palm of her hand where it had pooled under the tight glove. She removed her face mask and wrapped it around her entire hand.

“I can’t believe I let it happen again.” This wasn’t the first time that her rage had gotten the best of her. Her anger at her own existence was hard to get a handle of no matter how hard she tried. “Dammit. I completely screwed up my job. Nick’s going to kill me.”

She stared down at her finger that she knew should be hurting a lot worse than it was. It felt numb with only a hint of occasional stinging. It wasn’t the first time she had been cut. She had grown accustomed to the pain over the years. The pain was better than the nothing she usually felt deep inside so she embraced the change in feelings.

Beth-Anne stripped off her jacket to relieve herself of the smothering heat it created. The breeze brushed against her hot skin providing a cool refreshment. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. That was probably Nick asking her about her progress. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and was shocked to find that it was her mother asking where she was.

“I’m out with a friend celebrating the game from today. I’ll be home later,” she responded to the text.

It wasn’t like her to lie to her parents, but it wasn’t as if they even really cared. They only cared about their “star” child who was going to “make it big in life”. The whole reason she joined the basketball team was that it gave her a better outlet for her aggression she kept pent up inside. The rigorous training every day kept her mind on track. Not coming home until late every day was another blissful bonus. On most days, her brother was already gone by the time she got home which gave her a reprieve from his constant abuse. 

Her phone vibrated again. “I need you home now. Your brother is throwing things again, and your father isn’t home from work yet.”

“What do you really expect me to do about it, Mom? He’s your son. Kick him out,” she replied.

Minutes later she received a response. “You know that we can’t do that. I don’t know why you would even joke about something like that. This is all your fault for being such an annoyance to him all the time. Get home this instant.”

Beth-Anne let her hand slip to her side as she stared up at the cloudy night sky. Everything was always her fault. She had been at school all day, but since her spoiled brother threw a fit it was obviously her fault. That made perfect sense. 

Beth-Anne was really starting to get fed up with them always taking his side no matter what it was that he did. Like the time he locked her in a closet for hours while her parents were at work. He claimed that she had been bothering him during rehearsal so he put her in there to shut her up. In reality, she was studying for an upcoming exam with headphones on and had ignored him without realizing it. Their parents then proceeded to ground her for a week for being a distraction and a nuisance. No matter what, she could never win in her house.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be home as soon as I can,” she sent back.

“Well, Beth-Anne, prepare yourself for what awaits you at home…” she said to herself.

She thought back to her episode in your house and couldn’t help but crack a smile. Even if she had no choice but to suffer then at least you would too. You even had the privilege of having a peaceful night before it all exploded in your face. In that case, you were still luckier than her.


	18. Cordially Invited

A loud, screeching noise erupted from your phone as the clock struck eight o’clock in the morning. Your eyelids shot open as your arms flailed around wildly in search for your phone out of morning ritualistic instinct. What on Earth was that horrendous sound? 

“Wakey wakey, sleepyhead! I recorded something to make sure you wake up!” You heard your best friend’s voice as you ripped the covers off yourself.

“What the…?” Your head jerked from side to side and scanned the room. The spirited girl you were expecting to see was nowhere to be found. 

Another loud wailing followed your best friend’s message. Scrambling to find your phone you jumped out of your bed. As your feet touched the ground, your door swung open loudly and slammed against your door stopper. You turned around and stared over at your brother's exhausted figure in the doorway. He shuffled into the room sluggishly and picked up your phone from your desk. He swiped his finger across the phone screen to unlock it and shut off the rather annoying alarm that devastated his ears.

Silence filled the room and you let out a breath as relief filled your entire being. You had to hand it to your best friend. She was the only one devious enough to change your ringtone from something soothing like (Your Favorite Singer)’s voice to something as obnoxious as whatever the hell your ears had just been subjected to. Your brother stared at you with narrowed eyes.

His mouth opened wide as he let out a large yawn. His face was not doing a good job of hiding how tired he was. He must have stayed out partying until the wee hours of the morning. You cracked a small smile. At least he had spent the night having fun.

“(Your Name), I love you to death, but if that thing wakes me up again…” he started as a yawn escaped his mouth, and he tossed your phone to you.

The phone landed perfectly in your hands, and you mentally applauded your awesome ninja reflexes.“I already know. I'll catch your vengeance later,” you responded sarcastically. “You haven't been gone long enough for me to forget how much of a morning person you are.”

“Good. I'm going back to bed. You should probably be getting ready for your dance or whatever,” he said as he shuffled back out of your room. 

As you heard the bathroom door shut you couldn't help but to giggle to yourself. It was amazing how different well rested (Your Brother’s Name) was from half asleep (Your Brother's Name). You would think they were two different people.

You reached up and stretched your arms above your head. You had no recollection of when you went to sleep, but your felt surprisingly refreshed. The last thing you remembered was lying down on your bed after looking up mountains of YouTube makeup tutorials. Your phone vibrated in your hand pulling your attention from your thoughts.

A notification stating you had a new message popped up. You swiped the screen and opened up the message. It was from your best friend and asked if you liked the gift she left you. You rolled your eyes and sent her a rage emoticon. You knew she had your best interests in mind, but was all of that really necessary. She could have just stopped by like she normally did. It wasn't like she didn't know where the hideaway key was.

You reached around and grabbed the charger cord that ran along the side of your night stand. After plugging the cord in you set your phone on the table. A loud growl emerged from your stomach reminding you that you had forgotten to eat last night. You skipped happily out of your room and listened to your brother cursing in the bathroom. 

“Damn light bulb went out! Yo, (Your Name), go grab another one from the laundry room!” he shouted.

“Fine, but only if you say please,” you teased.

“Unless you want me to pee on the floor, you'll go get it,” he quickly responded.

“Alright, alright. You win.” You threw up your hands in defeat and stepped down the stairs.

You had planned on going to get it regardless, but you were hoping to at least get some manners from him. Oh well. It was still fun to tease him. It was nice waking up and having someone there even if it was just your brother. 

You hopped off the bottom step and landed on the plush living room carpet that today felt even softer than usual. Your mood was exquisite this morning. It was amazing what a full night's sleep could do for you. Too bad that between practice and school that rarely ever happened anymore.

Your eyes narrowed as you strived to see in the dark room. The small amounts of natural light creeping into the living room weren't enough to keep you from bumping into the coffee table. You yelled out obscenities as a sharp pain shot through your shin. You reached down and rubbed the sore bone with your hand. 

You carefully limped around the table that had become a death trap of pain. After cursing its existence you ran your hand across the wall searching for the light switch. Your fingers brushed against it and flipped it up. 

As the light switch clicked on, red was all that you saw. Your heart dropped into your stomach as the crushing weight of the scene dropped on you like a ton of bricks. Your knees buckled underneath you, and you slunk down to the floor. Your mouth opened to say something, anything, but there was only silence. You couldn't even bring yourself to utter a single word.

Slivers of torn fabric were scattered across the floor underneath the ripped up shell that was once your dress. Tears trickled down your reddening cheeks. Why? What did you do to deserve this kind of treatment? You placed your face in your hands and sobbed loudly.

What in the world were you going to do? Your dress, the dress that Amber had so kindly picked out for you, was ruined. It laid on your floor in a million pieces. There wasn't enough time to get another one. Hopelessness took root in your heart as the hot tears slid down your face.

Your brother’s loud, fast steps on the stairs resounded behind you. “(Your Name)?! Are you okay?”

As he picked up the sight of the red sparkling fabric decorating the floor, he paused and stood in the opening to the room. What was your dress doing in that condition? How did this happen? He pushed the burning questions from his mind. He would figure all of that out later. Right now, tending to you was his top priority. 

He gingerly walked forward and kneeled down next to you. He wrapped his arm around you, pulled you closer to him, and rubbed your back comfortably. He softly told you that everything was going to be okay, and that he would find some way to fix this.

You put your arms around him and shoved your face in his chest to muffle your continued cries. It had been a long time since your brother comforted you like this. You felt like a small child again as you sat there with him. Even though he had his moments where he could be the biggest ass you had ever seen; at other times he was the best sibling you could ever ask for. 

“Hey. Stop crying so much. What would Amber say right now if she saw you like this?” he asked warmly.

You sniffled and pulled back from him. He placed his hands on your shoulders and smiled down at you. You wiped your tears with the back of your hand and thought about what he had said. He was right. There was no time to be crying like this. You had to cheer up. You couldn’t let Amber see you like this. No matter what, you weren’t going to let her look at you with that same despair. 

You couldn’t let Beth-Anne win. Even if you couldn’t prove it was her, you had a gut feeling that it was. She was the only person vile enough to do this. A determined spark flashed in your eyes as you were reminded of the declaration you made to yourself at the store. You were going to fight for the one you loved. No matter what, you had to keep pushing forward. 

Filled with a new vigor, you dropped your hands to your sides and, with the help of your brother, pushed yourself up off the floor. You took in deep breaths and whispered to yourself repeatedly that everything was going to be okay. Even if you didn’t truly believe it, you had to keep trying.

“There. That’s better. I don’t know how this happened, but we’ll find some way to fix it. We’ll get you another dress. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Your brother’s warm smile prompted you to return it with your own.

“Thanks, (Your Brother’s Name).” You took in more deep breaths and your anxious feelings dissipated. 

“You’re welcome. I’m going to go back upstairs. Call up Amber and let her know what’s going on,” he said as he patted you on the head.

You narrowed your eyes at him. Now, he was just patronizing you. You shooed him away with your hands and followed behind him up the stairs. The stairs creaked softly underneath your feet as you slowly took each step. What exactly were you going to tell Amber when you called her? The truth would be the best, but you wanted to be careful. You couldn’t outright accuse Beth-Anne even if you were convinced that she was behind all of this.

K-pop blared from inside your bedroom adding more pep to your step. You swiftly crossed the hallway to your bedroom. Speaking of the devil, that song was the one you had specifically assigned to Amber. You lunged forward and grabbed your phone just in the nick of time before it went to your voicemail.

“Hello?” you said breathlessly. 

“Hey. You sound like you've been running a marathon. Everything okay?” Amber replied. You could imagine her smirk over the phone, and it made your heart jump.

“Oh. I was rushing to answer the phone is all. You kinda caught me coming up the stairs.” You sucked in air as quietly as you could.

“I see. Well, don't wear yourself out just yet. We have a whole night ahead of us.” You went silent and couldn't help but to think that her words sounded a lot dirtier than she was probably intending. “So, what is the plan for the day? When should I come get you?”

“Umm...well...you see…” you said quietly before explaining to her what had happened.

“Are you okay?” Her voice jumped an octave which was unusual for her.

“I am fine. They didn't take anything. It looks like all they did was mess up my dress. I have my theories about who it was, but I can't prove anything so there isn't any point about me worrying about it. My brother said he would take me to the store to find a new one.” You managed to hold your composure well considering everything. You had to sound as cool as possible. The last thing you wanted was for Amber to panic like you secretly were internally.

“Won’t that take a while?” Amber asked concerned about time. 

The dance was later that evening, and she had planned some activities for the two of you before the dance even started. She needed to make sure that her plans weren’t going to get ruined by this sudden inconvenience. Everything had to go as planned.

“I've got this. Don't worry!” you reassured her. 

Amber paused as she heard the hint of hesitation in your voice. She went over her evening timeline in her head over and over again. An idea struck her that would fix everything. She just had to call in a favor. She wasn’t too thrilled by that idea, but having the perfect evening with you was worth the trade off she was expecting in return for this favor.

“Hmm...let me call you back,” she said abruptly before hanging up the call.

“What was that about?” you asked yourself as you stared down at your phone's screen.

A message popped up on your home screen that you had seen over a thousand too many times. Your battery was low once again. You sighed and plugged the phone back into the charger cord. You sat down on the edge of your bed and set your phone back down on the table. 

Well, that solved one of the many problems in your life, but what were you going to do about the bigger picture? Beth-Anne had gone too far and had to be stopped. You could understand her knowing where you lived since it wasn’t far from the school, but how did she even know about your dress? Did that mean that she was stalking you? The idea of that scared you, but that was all the more reason why you had to stop her from falling further down this rabbit hole she had dug. Once you had enough evidence you had to stand up to her. The last thing you could do was to let her keep trying to scare you. Even though it was working, you had to make sure she didn’t know that.

“Son of a bitch!” you heard your brother yell out from the bathroom.

“Oh, damn! I totally forgot all about the light bulb. I’ll go get it now!” You hopped up quickly from your bed and rushed down the stairs.

As he heard your feet patter against the stairs, he stared into the bathroom mirror with his phone in hand. The flashlight shined brightly back at him in the red tinted mirror. He had luckily found a light bulb underneath the sink. When he screwed the bulb in it quickly blew out, but not before he caught a good glance at the writing that plagued the mirror. He whispered the words to himself and his stomach turned at the malice behind them. 

What had happened while he had been gone? Who would write something like this? He reached over and grabbed a washcloth from the towel rack. He propped his phone up against the wall allowing the light to continue shining against the mirror. He turned the knob on the faucet and placed the cloth underneath the steady stream of lukewarm water. Thoroughly drenched, he took the cloth and swiped it across the mirror. The last thing he could do was allow you to see this. You had enough to worry about without having to read this. If he could help it, he wasn’t going to allow anything else to ruin your day.

You knocked on the door startling him. He hadn’t heard you come back up the stairs. He looked down at the cloth that was almost as clean as when he pulled it off the rack. The words were still bonded to the mirror and showed no signs of coming off. You stood outside the door listening to the sound of running water. Why wasn’t your brother saying anything?

“Hey,” your muffled voice spoke up. “I brought you the light bulb you wanted. Sorry that I forgot about it.” 

“Umm…” your brother started. He needed to keep you out of the bathroom until he was finished. “I’m kinda in the middle of something. Just leave it next to the door, and I’ll get it in a minute.”

“Eww. Okay. I’ll be in my room then.” You set it down on the floor and walked away from the bathroom. That was a mental image you didn’t quite need.

Once he heard your bedroom door shut behind you, he opened the bathroom door and reached out for the light bulb. He grasped it gently and pulled it into the room with him. He pushed on the door, and it softly clicked shut. He reached up and unscrewed the bulb that turned out to be a disappointing dud. He set it down gingerly on the counter top and screwed in the new bulb. 

Light filled the room as he made the final turn securing it into place. He turned off the flashlight on his phone and took a good look at the illuminated graffiti on the mirror. It was disgusting how hateful the words were. Since water wasn’t working, he turned the faucet off. 

“Looks like whoever did this used permanent marker. Rubbing alcohol should work,” he said to himself quietly. 

He leaned down and looked underneath the sink. He dug through various bottles of cleaner before spotting the clear bottle he was looking for. He stood back up and set the bottle down on the counter. He picked up the cloth with both hands, and (with a lot of pent up anger) he twisted it to ring out the water. 

He was going to find out who did this no matter what it took. No one messed with you like that and got away with it. Your brother wondered to himself how long this harassment had been going on. He understood why you tried to play off the lawn art like it was nothing serious, but this was another level of twisted that made the other look child friendly in comparison. So what if you, his dear sister, was in love with a girl. That was your business and no one else's. There was nothing wrong with you loving anyone no matter what their gender was. 

Living in South Korea for the last couple of years really put into perspective for him how different the culture was. Homosexuality was still frowned upon in certain areas of society in America, but it was even more so back over there. Though, to be fair, just being different and stepping outside of the norm wasn't celebrated kindly. He had hoped that America would have changed for the better after seeing that gay marriage was nationally legalized. However, it looked like that wasn't the case for his town. It seemed to have just brought upon vandalism and more hate that was unwarranted.

He unscrewed the top to the bottle and poured it down the front of the mirror. The alcohol flowed over the words and picked up small tints of red as it traveled down the glass. As he soaked the cloth with alcohol, he couldn't resist the prickling urge in the back of his throat to cough. The smell of the alcohol was overpowering his senses. He flipped up the switch for the vent in the ceiling. 

The fan turned on loudly enough for you to hear it from your room. “Reminder to self to let the bathroom air out before going in there again.” 

You lied down stomach first on your bed and gripped your still charging phone in your hands. You awaited Amber’s return call with bated breath. It was still unknown why she suddenly had to end your call, but you were sure it was for a good reason. The phone vibrated in your hands. A message from an unknown number popped up on the screen.

“Official Invite. You have been invited to a celebration party tonight after homecoming. Meet up at Archer Estates by midnight to get in. We have a special evening planned for all attendees. Bring this message as verification of your invitation. See you there.”

The end of the message contained a link with map directions to the estate. Archer Estates, huh? Why did that name sound so familiar to you? Before you could think about it further, your phone rang. Your eyes brightened as Amber's picture popped up on your phone's screen. You gleefully answered the call.

“Hey. Sorry about that. I had to talk to my sister about something. I'll be there in a few minutes so don't leave for the store just yet. I have a pleasant surprise for you,” she said.

“Oh...okay. I'll wait for you to get here,” you replied a bit confused.

“Good. See you in a few. Bye!”

You hung up the phone and stared inquisitively into space. What was Amber's big surprise? Your heart thumped anxiously in your chest as your mind ran wild with ideas. 

“Yes! I’m finally finished!” your brother exclaimed from the bathroom. 

Unintelligible sounds followed his rather boisterous announcement that you wished you could unhear. The bathroom door clicked open and shut behind your brother as he exited the room. A large smile plastered his face as he felt accomplished. It took some effort, but he was able to get every last speck of red off of the mirror. He tapped on your door softly and informed you to stay out of the bathroom for a few minutes to get rid of the strong smell.

Your face twisted in disgust as you planted your face in your sheets. You gripped the pillow lying above your head on the bed with both hands. With one fast, backwards throw the pillow made contact with the door. Your brother jumped back at the sound. 

“Be lucky that hit the door and not your face. That was information you could have kept to yourself,” you mumbled through the sheets. 

“Sheesh. Next time, I won’t warn you. I’ll let you get blasted,” he said as he turned away from the door and headed back towards his own room. 

Both of you couldn’t help but crack genuine smiles of satisfaction. This was the first time in a long time that either of you had dealt with sibling confrontation, and it was refreshing. You had never thought that you would be happy just going back and forth with your brother. The loneliness that you experienced every day became that much more apparent the longer you reflected on it. You really missed everyone whether you wanted to admit it or not. You missed your brother’s teasing, your father’s excessive talk about his work, and your mother’s ranting about how much she truly hated Charlotte.

You had to enjoy the time that you had with your brother before he had to go back. You couldn’t let all of these feelings control you. Amber was on her way to help fix your current situation. Now wasn’t the time to be upset. You sat up on your bed and took in deep breaths. You patted your cheeks with your hands and put on your fighting face. You had a lot of people that cared about you enough to help you and to your surprise, Amber was one of them. With their help, you could get past all of this. You could accomplish anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I finally got the new chapter done! *enter party horn sounds* These last few months have been a bit of a trial for me. Running a business, hosting a maid café, and handling commissions all at the same time has really taken its toll on me. With my spouse being out of work, I am our sole provider. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not working on something. I, luckily, was able to take a small break from everything this past week in celebration for my birthday on March 19th. It was a lot of fun getting away from everything for a couple of days. :3
> 
> I'm sorry for the long delay in chapters everyone has dealt with. I'm trying to implement a daily word goal for myself that shouldn't take much time out of my day. This will help me from getting rusty or forgetting important pieces of information from previous chapters. It will also help with getting updates out a bit faster. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for giving me your love and support! I appreciate every single one of you! Your kudos, comments, and shares mean the world to me! Thank you all for making my story such a success! I love you all! See you next time! :3


	19. Sisterly Love

A downcast sigh left the troubled teen as he stared down at his phone and leaned up against his bedroom door. Your brother had solved the bathroom problem, but now there was a larger one he had to figure out. Who was this person that seemed to have it in for you, and why would they go to such lengths just to get you to back off of Amber?

A name stared back at him as he hesitated to click on its contact information. If anyone could find out what he needed, it was Nick. His father’s connections and his own uncanny skill at finding out dirt on everyone in town was an appealing notion.

Your brother paced around the room completely torn over what he should do. He desperately needed to find out who was behind everything, but Nick was his friend. The last thing he wanted to do was give off the wrong impression. The more he mulled it over, the more he felt he was justified in asking for this one favor. Friends were there to help each other out, right?

He dialed Nick’s number and placed the phone up to his ear. The call immediately went to a generic voicemail message stating that the person at select number was unavailable. Your brother removed the phone from his ear and ended the call. This wasn’t something he could just leave over voicemail. He rapidly typed out a text message stating that he needed to talk to Nick about something important. After the message sent, he tossed the phone onto his bed where it bounced into the air almost landing on the floor.

Another crestfallen sigh left him as he flopped down on the firm bed. This day was already to a hectic start, and he had only been awake for maybe half an hour. He yawned loudly and rolled over onto his back. He stared up at the rotating ceiling fan and the sound made him yawn harder. The two hours of sleep he managed to squeeze in before being rudely awakened by your best friend’s handiwork were starting to catch up to him. His eyelids slowly closed as the quiet whirring of the fan lulled him to sleep.

Soft snores flowed through his room within moments of him entering his much needed slumber. He was out like a light and didn’t even notice the sound of the door, from a familiar silver car, shutting in your driveway just below his bedroom window. As your ears picked up the faint sound, you jumped up from your seat. You ripped open your door and sprinted down the stairs with purpose.

You halted in front of the door and fussed with your disheveled hair trying to make it lie flat on your head. Why hadn’t you thought to brush it out before Amber had arrived? Nevermind. There was no time for that. Besides, she had already seen you naked. Your bed head was the last thing you should have been worrying about.

Strong knocking emanated from your front door. You quickly ran your fingers through your hair one final time before opening the door. Both Amber and you waved as you greeted one another. You took a few steps back and welcomed her into your house. As she entered the threshold of your living room, you closed the door behind her. You reached over and flipped up the light switch which illuminated the entire room.

Amber walked through the living room and stared down at the crumpled remains of your homecoming dress. Red, sparkling strips of fabric laid strewn about in a hopeless pile on the floor. Her face turned flush with anger. Her body whipped back around as she faced you with a raging fire in her eyes hiding behind a watery wall of barely imprisoned tears. Her hands sat at her hips and closed into tight fists. This was worse than she had imagined when you explained the situation to her over the phone. It was a good thing she had prepared for the worst before coming over to your house.

You swallowed hard as the look on her face made you freeze. You had seen that look before, and it was what you were afraid of. You didn’t want her to break down again. You were already holding yourself together by the skin of your teeth. If she started apologizing again, you would come unglued. Nothing good could come out of this. Your mouth opened to reassure her that everything was going to be okay but before you could make a sound, the flames died down as Amber’s mouth curled into a soft smile.

“I see. I have to admit, it is a bit worse than I expected.” She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and paused as if searching for the proper way to bring up a new topic. “So, umm...I brought my sister along with me just in case we needed her expertise. Would it be okay if I invited her in?”

Amber’s question took you by surprise. You certainly weren’t expecting to meet her sister this soon. Although, to be fair, Amber did already get the chance to meet your brother and everything seemed to go well. To say you weren’t nervous about the sudden introduction would be lying. Even so, you nodded your head and informed Amber that you would be delighted to meet her.

Amber walked past you and stopped in front of the door. She sighed as she turned the knob and opened it. You stood by and watched as she waved out the door and beckoned for someone to come inside the house. Another car door closed, and your body shifted apprehensively at the sound. Footsteps clacked against the stone walkway forcing you to suck in a large breath of air.

An older teenager took off her large sunglasses as she stepped into the house. She looked your way and smiled. You did a double take. If you hadn’t known any better, you would be sure that she and Amber were twins. You couldn’t help but to stare at her. Her skin was a golden tan that was sure to make every girl on the cheerleading squad jealous. Her body was athletic and fit similar to Amber’s even if she was a couple inches taller. She was gorgeous just like her younger sister.

“So, you’re (Your Name), right? I’ve heard so much about you!” she said as she extended her hand out to you. You happily shook it and was amazed by her strength.

“Hopefully they were all good things.” You laughed nervously as you broke the handshake.

“Of course! She just forgot to mention how cute you were!” she gushed.

Your entire body turned flush as her compliments washed over you. “Umm...thank you…”

“Jackie, you’re embarrassing her,” Amber huffed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“N--no! She’s fine! I’m fine!” you stammered loudly as your hands shot up to cover your red face.

Jackie giggled and glanced over at the red mess lying on your floor. Her smile faded at the sight of the wreckage. She wandered over to that side of the room and leaned down to examine the dress and its scattered remnants closer. Her fingers ran across the torn fabric as her mind tried to piece the dress back together. She turned her head and looked over at you with her dark chocolate eyes that resembled Amber’s.

“So, that is the damage, huh?” You nodded your head and she continued. “Sadly, there really isn’t any way of fixing that unless you plan on going as a zombie. At least now you have the perfect Halloween costume.” Her voice was light as she attempted to bring some levity to the situation.

“I guess that’s one good way to look at this.” You laughed halfheartedly.

“No worries though. We came prepared.” She stood up from her kneeled position and turned her attention to Amber. “Go get the dress out of the car. Based on the pictures you showed me and from seeing her in person, she should be able to fit into it. We can make some minor alterations if needed.”

As Amber left the living room, Jackie walked up to you and eyed you from head to toe. As both of you stood in alone in silence, her mouth curled into a wicked smile. You stood there perplexed by the sudden change in her expression.

“Hey. Want to hear some stories about Amber as a child? I think you would really get a kick out of them. I know she made me promise not to, but I think it would help cheer you up,” she said mischievously.

By her tone, you weren’t sure if that was her true reason or if she just wanted to embarrass her younger sister. Part of you was concerned for Amber, but a larger part of you was curious to hear about her when she was younger. This was an opportunity you weren’t sure you were going to get again so you had to take it when it was so generously offered to you. You nodded your head, and Jackie’s eyes beamed.

“Okay. So, when Amber was maybe six or seven she was sent to timeout. In retaliation, she took all of her clothes out of the dresser and taped them to the walls. Our parents came into the room and didn’t know how to react.” As the image appeared in her mind, she bent over and laughed loudly.

Snickers left you as you tried really hard to not roll into fits of laughter yourself. You would have never imagined that Amber would have done something like that. It seemed so out of character for her, but then again, you weren’t exactly the same person that you were at six. Jackie took in fast breaths as she tried to restrain her laughter. Containing it for a moment, she continued.

“Wait. Wait. I have one more really funny one. There was this one time when Amber decided to shave off half of each of her eyebrows.” She lifted her hands and pointed to the inner part of both of her own eyebrows. “I told her that she looked different, and she told me that she had no clue what I was talking about.”

At that story you couldn’t contain the building laughter anymore. Laughs erupted violently from your body. Jackie's impersonation was so on point that you could imagine the words coming from Amber’s mouth. Your sides began to ache and quiver as tears trickled down your warm cheeks. Small pained noises starting slipping out between the laughs as your body bent over, and your arms wrapped around your aching midsection. That was a much needed laugh after all of the drama that seemed to follow you these days.

The front door opened as Amber returned with a dress wrapped in a white, plastic bag. The sight of both of your shaking, hunched over, laughing bodies made her raise an eyebrow. She carefully laid the dress across the coffee table in front of the couch. Jackie placed her arm on your back to steady herself. No matter how much both of you tried, you couldn't calm the laughter that continued to erupt from your bodies. 

“Okay. What's so funny? What did I miss?” Amber asked as she crossed her arms and continued to eye Jackie suspiciously. 

Jackie quickly sucked in air as she tried to collect herself. She held up her index finger instructing Amber to give her a moment. Her laughs grew quieter and further apart until they fell silent. Her breathing slowed down as she caught her breath.

“Sorry. I was telling (Your Name) some stories about when we were kids. Nothing big,” she said nonchalantly. 

“You didn't!” Amber gasped. Her brow furrowed as her eyes shifted sharply giving her sister a sinister glare.

“Now, now. Don't blow a fuse. She would have found out anyway. Besides…” Jackie leaned over and wrapped her arms around your now steady shoulders. She pressed her index fingers into your cheeks and pushed up. “Look at this face. She's happy.” 

Small giggles continued to escape against your wishes. You were trying to calm down, but Jackie poking your cheeks wasn’t helping. You couldn't look Amber in the eye without imagining her as a small, smug child with half shaved eyebrows pretending that everything was cool. 

A light pink tint crept up on Amber's cheeks as she turned away from you and Jackie. While she was embarrassed and had no idea which stories Jackie had decided to tell you, she was happy that your spirits were up. Seeing that disdain look in your eyes before tore her to pieces on the inside, but she knew she had to be strong for you. If her embarrassment made you happy then she was happy. 

Amber cleared her throat. “Anyway, that dress is for you.” With her back still turned to you, she pointed to the bag on the table.

“Yep. Thankfully, our neighbor's daughter was about your size, and she still had her prom dress lying around. Unfortunately, it isn't red so Amber will have to switch out her accessories.” Jackie lifted herself from your shoulders. “It’s a bit sad. That red dress would have looked so gorgeous on you. I even had a matching red lipstick lying around.”

She walked back over to the table and lifted the bag. She unzipped it and removed the dress hidden within. White, shimmering jewels dusted the icy blue bodice of the sweetheart dress. Layers of sheer, blue, flowing fabric cascaded down the bottom of the bodice forming a cute, a-line fitted skirt. 

Your eyes brightened as you looked over the dress. It was beautiful and took your breath away. Your emotions overwhelmed you and made your chest tighten. Unable to stop yourself, you lunged forward and wrapped your arms around Amber’s slender waist, pushing your face into her back. You muffled ‘thank you’, and Amber’s already pink face turned a deeper red. 

“Y--you’re welcome…” she said softly.

Jackie smiled as she watched her sister trip over herself. She was happy that Amber had found someone to fall for whether she would admit it or not. She was letting her guard down for once. It was a nice change of pace to the facade that her sister put on for everyone. Life wasn’t as easy for Amber as she alluded to everyone. She dealt with things on a daily basis that no woman should have to struggle with. 

Having a boyish style, that most people didn’t approve of, made her the victim of constant mistaken identity. Judgmental eyes followed them everywhere including the restroom of numerous stores they frequented. Amber was constantly being harassed by some middle aged soccer mom that thought she knew everything about Amber’s gender. Jackie had stood up for her multiple times in the past, but Amber always tried to brush it off as not being that important. She would always politely explain that she was indeed a woman, but very rarely did she receive her much deserved apology.

“Why don’t you go try this on and see how it fits?” Jackie asked.

You pulled back from Amber and stared blankly at her back. Dark, wet spots from your tears of joy stained the back of her shirt. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to suddenly hug you or cry on you. I was just so excited that I couldn’t help myself,” you rambled.

Amber stood there quietly with her back still turned to you. Her silence made you fidget uncomfortably. “Umm...I’m just going to be upstairs then.” You took the dress from Jackie’s hands and exited the room.

Once the sound of your door closing resounded in Amber’s ears she turned around and released the breath she had been holding. Your sudden outburst had caught her off guard. She wasn’t expecting to be hugged like that. The feeling of your arms and warmth wrapping around her made her heart skip a beat. The more time she spent with you, the more she struggled to hide her nervousness around you. She had to keep up this ‘cool’ persona that you and everyone else had grown accustomed to, but every time you did something cute and unexpected, you made it rather difficult.

“You know, you could just be yourself,” Jackie said as if she was reading Amber’s thoughts.

“How did you...” Amber said as she turned to face her older sister.

“It’s an older sister thing. You wouldn’t understand,” she giggled.

“Whatever,” she scoffed. “So...what did you tell her?”

“I’m not telling you. Besides, if you truly plan on being serious with her then you know that you’ll have to bring her over to meet our parents eventually. You know they would have told her all of the stories in explicit detail. Be lucky I only told her a few, and she heard them from me.” Jackie took a seat on the couch and leaned back into its plush exterior.

“Serious with her? I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Amber said with the same embarrassed expression she held on her face years ago when she was trying to play off shaving her eyebrows.

“You are such a brat.” Jackie laughed. “But seriously, you should totally tell her how you feel. She is so into you.”

“Do you really think so?” Amber blurted out excitedly. As the words left her lips, her face matched your original homecoming dress. Why did she just ask that?

“Hah. I knew it. My big sister intuition is never wrong.” Jackie gave her sister a large, cheeky smile.

“Don’t say anything to her. She can’t know. She already has enough problems with someone thinking that we are together. Even if she did like me, which I highly doubt since she already told me she was in love with someone else, I don’t want her to get hurt. Someone broke into her house, Jackie.” Heavy concern for your safety filled her voice. 

The last thing she wanted was for this person to escalate to violence. This whole situation had already escalated a lot faster than she was expecting. Words on your lawn and her car had turned into a torn up dress in your house. That was a rather large jump in such a short amount of time. There was no telling what this person would do next.

“Do you have any idea who it could be?” Jackie asked. 

She had heard the whole story from her sister earlier, but even with proof in front of her, the whole situation just seemed surreal. She had never thought someone would stoop this low. Nasty words and confrontations in the restroom were one thing, but jeopardizing someone else’s property was another. Whoever this was, definitely had some deep seated hatred.

“There is this one guy, Nick, that keeps hanging around her. From what I know, he doesn’t catch the hint that she just isn’t into him. I’ve driven him away once, but by the look on his face, I’m pretty sure he was pissed off about it. I’ve asked about him, but the girls on the team only know him as that ‘sexy guy that works at Johnny’s Pizza’. Even though they weren’t much help, they weren’t wrong. If his personality actually matched his face then I’m pretty sure he could get any girl he wanted.” Amber shrugged her shoulders.

“I think I know who you’re talking about. He’s the one with the heavy track record when it comes to girls. He likes to love them and leave them if you catch my drift.” She paused and pondered on the thought of him being the culprit. “However, I don’t see him being this petty. This screams female rage. Is there maybe another girl that has a thing for either of you?”

Amber went awkwardly silent. It wasn’t a secret how many of her fellow classmates fawned over her. There were even rumors of a secret fan club devoted to her with their own fandom name. She didn’t really believe that it went that far, but who really knew? She had made an active decision to not disclose that information with her family. She had already went through enough trouble explaining to her dad that even though she dressed masculine she still felt like a female. Having a conversation about her hoard of female fan girls would just be too much.

Not willing to explain it to her sister she just shrugged her shoulders which prompted a sigh from Jackie. “Well, I have no idea then. I don’t have much to work with. I am pretty sure that who you’re looking for is a girl though.”

The top of the stairs creaked causing both girls to grow silent and look up. You stood there awkwardly holding up the strapless dress against your chest and asked for some assistance. You had tried to lace up the back of the dress yourself, but your arms just didn’t bend that way. Jackie volunteered herself and jumped off the couch quickly. She sprinted up the stairs before Amber had the chance to object. 

She followed you into your room leaving Amber alone downstairs. Amber crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall. While she was worried about any possible happenings at the dance, she was also excited to spend time with you. Even if the odds were slim, if she stayed on her guard then she was sure that things would go smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally returned with another update! I had to do some research for this chapter, but I think it turned out great! I found out some interesting things about Amber I never knew before. :3 (Yes, those stories are real. They came from an interview with Jackie herself during KCON 2013.)
> 
> Thank you all for the sweet and encouraging comments you have been leaving me. I really appreciate your continued support and patience. May 30th will mark 2 years since I started this story so I hope you continue to join me on this journey and see it to the end. ^w^
> 
> Remember that I love you all, and I will see you next time!


	20. So, You Think You Can Dance?

"There. That should do it. They aren't the best, but those pins should withstand a night of dancing at least," Jackie mumbled through gritted teeth as she held a safety pin in between them.

You looked in the mirror and twirled around allowing the skirt to billow around your knees. After some minor modifications to make it smaller, the dress now fit like a glove. You had worried that this style of dress would look weird on you, but to your relief it was actually very flattering and worked great with your body type. A look of awe didn't leave your face as you continued to stare in the mirror at your own reflection. You didn't want to boast, but damn did you look good.

"Thanks a lot, Jackie," you said. "I really like it."

Jackie removed the extra pin from between her lips and set it down on your dresser. She was glad that she had been able to take in your dress and make it look relatively decent. She was no seamstress, but she did the best that she could with the limited amount of time that she had. Even if you were just lying about truly liking it, she was still grateful for your kind words.

"You're a good friend of Amber's so it's no problem," Jackie said as she glanced over at you and displayed a true smile. "She talks about you a lot, you know? She's very excited about the two of you going out tonight. She hasn't shut up about it. Not that I mind, but she could talk about something else."

"Really? What does she say about me?" you asked as you awkwardly shifted your weight from foot to foot.

That was it. That was the in that Jackie was hoping for. While she wanted to outright tell you how her sister felt about you, she took Amber's concerns to heart. She would have to settle for subtleties for now.

"She gushes over you telling me how talented you are. She said that not only are you great at singing and dancing, but that you are also on the cheer squad and the president of a club at school. I'm impressed. That's a lot to tackle in one year," she started.

"Yeah. The cheer team almost didn't happen. I messed up and didn't even get to perform my routine. It's still a mystery why I was chosen." You shrugged your shoulders.

Now that you thought about it again, it was odd that that they chose you considering the circumstances of your audition. It was better off forgotten though. The last thing you wanted was to remember embarrassing yourself in front of everyone, especially Amber. You still remembered how painful it was to watch her hiding her face as she laughed at you.

"You really don't know?" Jackie asked as she stood there flabbergasted. Amber never mentioned it to you? What was wrong with that girl? Even if she wanted to hide it, you deserved to know.

"I really don't know what?" You were now confused. Did Jackie know something that you didn't?

"Amber is the reason why you were accepted. The judges were on the fence since you at least saved yourself gracefully. She told them that you had hidden talents that would benefit the team. They took her word and allowed you to join in hopes that you would live up to your hype by the star of the girl's basketball team. It seems like you're doing well though. They made the right choice," Jackie explained.

You went silent as Jackie's unbelievable words sunk in. Amber was the reason behind your acceptance? You couldn't wrap your head around it. Why would she have gone through all of that trouble to help you out back then?

"I don't understand though. Why would she do all of that just for me? We weren't even friends then," you questioned her.

Jackie placed her hand on your shoulder and looked at your reflections in the mirror. "Maybe she saw something in you that you don't quite see yourself."

"If you say so..." you said.

You didn't know what to make of this sudden realization. Should you question Amber about it? As much as you wanted to, right now wasn't the best time to do so. You still had so much left to do in order to get ready. You hadn't even showered yet today, and you were sure you needed one right about now to calm down the raging thoughts swirling around in your head.

"Don't fret over it. I'm sure Amber had her reasons," Jackie said softly.

She was unsure if her telling you all of this was the best choice or not. All she knew was that she would have wanted to know if she was in your shoes. She knew Amber was going to scold her, but that was a scolding she would happily take. Hopefully, this would push both of you closer and force a conversation that Amber was dreadfully avoiding.

"Yeah. You're right. I mean, she did a great thing for me so I shouldn't really argue with her act of kindness. Her reasons behind it shouldn't matter." You smiled.

"That's the spirit," Jackie cheered.

"Would you mind helping me back out of this? I'm going to grab a quick shower." You turned your back towards her, and she pulled down the zipper. The dress slipped down your body and onto the floor. You stepped out of it and picked it up off of the floor. As you laid it across the top of your bed the text ringtone for your best friend rang.

You leaped over to the nightstand, currently holding your charging phone hostage, and picked it up. The message from her read that she was on her way over and would be there in a matter of minutes. She continued on saying that she would be bringing her date with her so the four of you would be enjoying the best double date ever. You rolled your eyes at her text and set the phone back down.

Turning to face Jackie again you asked, "Umm...would you mind doing me a small favor?"

"Sure. What's up?" she quickly responded without much thought.

"My best friend is on her way over. If she shows up before I am finished with my shower, would you mind letting her in for me? She'll look colorful and probably dorky so you won't be able to miss her." You laughed.

"Of course," Jackie giggled. "I live with a dork so spotting another one shouldn't be too hard."

"Thank you so much," you said before you excused yourself from the room.

Jackie followed suit behind you and walked down the stairs as you entered the bathroom. Amber sat on the couch apprehensively and stared down at her phone waiting for Jackie to initiate a conversation so she could ask what was on her mind. Amber desperately wanted to know what the two of you had discussed, but she didn't want to make it seem obvious.

"Well, in case you wanted to know, we got her dress to fit. She's taking a shower right now so it will be a bit before she'll be completely ready. It's a good thing that we have plenty of time. I just wasn't expecting the dress to take so long to pin down." She plopped down on the couch next to her sister and stretched back.

"Yeah. You two were in there for a while. You didn't tell her anymore stories about me, did you?" Amber pried.

Jackie laughed and shook her head. "No. I kept the rest of your stories to myself...for now."

"Good. I don't want you making me out to be some sort of big dork," Amber said softly.

Jackie reached over and playfully pushed on Amber's shoulder. "But you are a dork. You're the cutest dork though."

"Whatever," Amber scoffed. "Are you sure you didn't say anything else to her?"

Jackie went silent. A part of her wanted to ask why she had stayed silent about her participation in getting you on the cheer leading team. The other part of her felt that she had interfered enough for the day and the two of you should talk about it without her present.

As if the cosmos had planned the perfect diversion, Amber's text tone went off. She clicked on the message and read its contents. The same message from a private number that you had received earlier that morning had finally made its way to Amber's phone. Amber stared inquisitively at the small screen in her hands as she reread the message over and over.

"What's up?" Jackie asked as she watched Amber's expression change.

"Nothing, really. It looks like someone is having an after party at their house tonight," she responded as her eyes stayed fixated on the message.

"That sounds awesome! You two should totally go. Who's hosting it?" Jackie asked as she leaned over to see Amber's screen.

"That's the thing. I don't know. It says that it's at Archer Estates. I'm googling it now." She closed the message and brought up the search engine.

"Archer Estates..." Jackie muttered to herself as she mulled over the name. "Oh! As in the senator's place? Wow. Lucky. That place is huge and has been said to have the largest pool in the area."

"Yep. That is the one. I didn't know his child went to school with us. I guess that would be something you would try to keep under wraps. He always has some scandal he's trying to deal with," Amber said as she switched back to her messenger.

She started messaging everyone on her team to see if they all received the same message. One by one, the resounding 'yes' messages came in. A large portion of them even stated that they were planning to go. Well, that was that. It was definitely a school wide thing. She let out a sigh of relief. Something had felt off about the whole thing, but now she felt reassured that this wasn't some elaborate set up.

"It looks like everyone else received the same message. It really is some big after party for the homecoming dance after all." Amber turned off her screen and placed her phone on her thigh.

"That's good. So, are you and (Your Name) going to go? I think it would be loads of fun. Don't worry. I won't tell Mom and Dad. You're such a good child so they won't think much of you being out late anyway. You're not a wild child like me." She gave Amber a cheeky smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Good child, you say?" Amber rolled her eyes.

Both girls jumped in their seats as the sound of the doorbell caught both of them off guard. Jackie hopped up and rushed over to the door. She was excited to see the type of person you chose to call your best friend. She opened the door and there stood your best friend in a colorful, bright, sparkling outfit that definitely stood out in a crowd. You had come to expect such an outfit from her, but the style shocked Jackie.

Your best friend was taken aback as her vision shifted from Jackie in front of her and Amber on the couch. "I didn't just walk into some weird parallel universe, did I?"

"No," Jackie reassured her lightly as she stepped aside to allow your best friend to enter. "I'm Amber's sister, Jackie. Come on in. (Your Name) is currently taking a shower so she may be a while."

"Better get comfortable then. She'll be in there singing for hours if you don't watch her," she responded as she stepped into the room.

A young man only a few inches taller than your best friend walked in behind her and closed the door. Your best friend linked her arm in his and held it tightly. He looked down and gave her a soft smile as he pushed up his round, rimmed glasses with his free hand.

"Ooh. Who is this handsome, young man?" Jackie asked curiously.

"This is my boyfriend, Eric. He just flew in this morning to come to the dance with me. He's amazing. We actually met thanks to (Your Name)'s mom. He is super talented and got an amazing internship with her company even though he's still in high school. As an added bonus, his weird matches my weird. He's so perfect." She blushed as she looked up at him with large, doting eyes.

It was easy to tell that she was completely smitten with this boy. She had all the reason in world to be. He had an adorable face and a perfectly white smile. The way he looked at her made Jackie's heart thump hard in her chest. Everyone in the room could feel their connection. Even though their relationship hadn't started long ago, watching them interact with one another made that hard to believe.

Amber scooched over to the edge of the couch and invited the young couple to sit down next to her. Eric sat down next to Amber followed by your best friend. Jackie took the last unoccupied spot on the crowded couch.

"So you work for the same entertainment company that Charlotte is a part of, right?" Amber asked as she started to fangirl.

"Yeah. She is definitely a part of it, unfortunately. She is a pain to work with sometimes. Her personality is not what you see on television by any means. Seeing her behind the scenes is like seeing the spawn of the devil herself. You can ask (Your Name)'s mom. I feel bad for her some days," he sighed. Amber's cheerful expression faded making Eric feel self conscious that he had said the wrong thing. "I mean, she has her moments..."

"It's okay, dude." She stopped him. "I've heard what she's like off screen. I've seen the rumors. I was just hoping they were a lie since I like her music. Oh well. You can't win them all."

Eric released his held breath, and Amber continued. "So, what do you do?"

"At the company? I'm the bottom guy on the totem pole right now. All I really do is help out with paperwork at our main office. It isn't as glamorous as (Your Best Friend's Name) makes it out to be, but I have had the chance to work on my vocals with some of the best in the business while I have been there. My dancing skills are a different story though." He chuckled.

"You're a great dancer. Don't doubt yourself." Your best friend poked him on the nose. "I've seen your training tapes. They are so good."

"Oh, really?" Amber perked up. "How about we put those skills to the ultimate test then?"

She wanted some way to ignore this anxious feeling in her chest that kept growing the more she waited for you to come back down. A friendly dance competition seemed like as good of an option as any to help with that. If anything, it would at least get her heart racing for other reasons and take her mind off of it.

"You're on!" Eric exclaimed.

Both of them jumped up only to be interrupted by a rather groggy teen stumbling down the stairs. Your brother stood in the middle of the stairs staring down at the group in the living room. A loud yawn escaped his mouth as he stepped off the bottom step. He reached up and stretched showing off his shirtless abs to everyone in the room without a care in the world. There was no use in attempting to go back to sleep now. If it wasn't your alarm tone waking him it was your father calling to pester him. Now, he had a house full of excited teenagers; half of them he had never seen before.

"Yo," he muttered as he walked past them and into the dining room. Usually he would be quick to introduce himself, but he was in dire need of caffeine if he was expected to become a productive member of society. He would proceed with the pleasantries when he could make a coherent thought.

You tromped excitedly down the stairs with a pleasant air about you. You felt refreshed after your blissful shower that allowed you to sort out all of your thoughts. It had been decided that after the dance was over, you would confront Amber about what Jackie had told you. For now, you weren't going to let it bother you. You were going to enjoy yourself at this dance no matter what.

"And there she is...miss 90's romantic comedy movie cliche. Where's your fancy dress?," your best friend called out to you in an attempt to break the silence that had fallen over them.

"Ha ha. Very funny." You stuck your tongue out at her to which she reciprocated. You looked over at the brunette standing next to Amber in a pair of black crop pants and t-shirt. "Oh. You must be...?"

"Eric," he said as he held out his hand to you.

As you took it, you smiled and said, "That's right. Well, welcome to my home. (Your Best Friend's Name) said that you two would be crashing here this weekend. Sadly, all I have to offer up is the couch since my brother has the best timing when it comes to returning home. Luckily, it pulls out into a bed."

"I wish I had known that the other day," Amber muttered to herself.

"Ah. That would explain the disgruntled guy that walked past us then. We didn't mean to wake him up," Eric said apologetically.

"I'm sure that it wasn't you guys," you reassured him. "So, what did I miss?"

"Just a dance contest. I challenged Eric because apparently he has moves. He should be worried about my sick moves though," Amber boasted.

"If you really are serious about a competition, then be prepared to be amazed. Watch this." He stepped away from the table in front of the couch and moved to the empty spot in the middle of the living room floor. "Play 'Secret Love' by Charlotte."

"I thought you didn't like her?" Amber jested.

"Come on. Just do it. I have the perfect dance for her song," Eric politely pushed.

Amber pulled the song up on her phone, and an energetic, poppy beat started to play. Eric patiently waited through the first verse. Once the bridge started, Eric dropped down to one knee and held up his arms. He pulled them back to his body as he melodramatically lip synced to the song. The entire room snickered as he continued. He jumped up at the start of the chorus. His arms waved back and forth in the air as he bent his knees and pelvic thrusted across the floor. At this move, which he declared as his 'signature', everyone in the room burst into fits of laughter.

Eric finished the song with a bow. Everyone applauded including your brother who was enjoying the show from the sidelines with a soda in hand. Now that he was getting his daily dose of pick me up, he was starting to perk up. Amber held up a fist. Eric bumped his against hers and pulled back from it.

"I don't know if I am going to be able to top that," Amber said in between laughs.

"Yeah. I tried to warn you. My moves are the best. I could teach you a thing or two," he joked.

Before Amber could respond, Eric's phone went off. "Oh. That is my reminder for my appointment. I hope you all don't mind, but I prepared a surprise for the four of us. I asked for a favor from a stylist friend of mine in town. She said she would love to do our hair and makeup for the dance. If you would like to that is."

"That sounds great! Amber could really use the help since I don't think she's ever really used makeup in her entire life. She also has this habit of just letting her hair do whatever it wants to that day," Jackie teased.

"The joy of having short hair. I don't have to mess with it," Amber said as she ignored her sister's antagonization. "I guess this means that we will continue this at the dance."

"I can't wait to see what you've got in response to the best dance ever," he chuckled. "Anyway, the appointment is in her studio across town. We should head out soon."

Jackie glanced over at your brother who continued to guzzle down his soda and said, "Would you like to go get something to eat while they run off and play double date?"

Both your and Amber's faces went white at her words. Your brother caught a glimpse of your horrified expression and snickered, "Sure. Sounds great."

"Then let's split up gang! We'll see you guys later," Jackie said eagerly.

Buzzing sounded from your brother's pocket as his phone vibrated against his thigh. He assumed it was just your father calling again since he had hung up on him earlier. There was a real reason behind your brother's sudden appearance back home, but he wasn't ready to discuss it with you. He had to get down to the bottom of all of this drama first then he would tackle the other subject. His purpose right now was to make sure you enjoyed your dance, and he was going to stop at nothing to make sure you had that pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2 year anniversary (May 30th) to "The Star of the Team"! 
> 
> It has been a long, but fun, ride. I have really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you all have enjoyed reading it! I feel like my writing style has improved with every chapter, and that makes me more excited to write.
> 
> My hope is that when I finish this story to transform it into an original and try to have it published. This is well in the future though. I personally feel the market is lacking good teen lesbian novels. I wish there was more of them when I was a questioning teenager in a very religious household. 
> 
> I am really happy that I was able to update the story at a faster pace this time! I hope to make this a trend again, but I can't make any promises. Work is still bombarding me on a daily basis. 
> 
> So, it's now question time! Since you're visiting a stylist in the next chapter this question revolves around that. If you could dye your hair any color, what would it be and why?
> 
> Thank you all for sticking around and for your continued love and support! I hope to continue to put out quality chapters for your reading pleasure. I love you, and I will see you next time! <3


	21. A Horse of a Different Color

A familiar, multiple story building towered above your group as they all stared in awe. You had spent many a day sitting in the crowded lobby with your mother while waiting for some client of hers to be finished. You had even had the pleasure of having the talented staff cut your hair in the past. Your mom taking on Charlotte as a client put a stop to all of that, and seeing the building again reminded you just how long it had been since you last had your hair professionally styled. Lets just say that you were well overdue.

“She said her studio is on the second floor,” Eric said as the front door slid open.

Your group entered the lobby filled with frantic assistants scrambling after their employers. A large man dressed in all black loomed over your group. His piercing scowl made your skin crawl. Holding up his hand, he stopped your group and, with a deep, booming voice, asked for identification. Eric pulled out his company ID while you pulled out the one you received from your mom forever ago. He scrutinized them and double checked each side. You couldn’t blame him; none of you really looked like you belonged there.

“Who is your appointment with?” he huffed as he looked your group over from head to toe.

“Amy Lee,” Eric responded casually. 

This wasn’t the first time he had to deal with security at one of these places. He often got hassled at his own place of employment whenever they hired some new bouncer because of his age. He couldn’t wait for the day he was officially signed on as artist. He would thoroughly enjoy the looks on all of their faces then.

“You must be her morning appointment then.” He handed back your forms of identification and stepped aside. “You’re going to take the elevator to your right and go up to the second floor. You’ll find her in the first studio on the left. And don’t even think about doing anything stupid. I will have my eyes on you.”

“Yes sir!” you all said in unison. 

Carefully you all walked past the ill-tempered man and the front desk to the elevator he pointed out. The outside was entirely encased in glass and covered in colorful lights. You stepped on a pad on the floor and the doors opened. When you all stepped inside, the doors closed and a voice in Japanese called out to you asking for your destination. 

“Second floor!” Eric commanded the elevator.

“Destination accepted. Second floor travel initiated,” the elevator responded to Eric’s command in English this time.

“That is so cool! I didn’t know that there were voice activated elevators,” your best friend commented in amazement.

“The CEO’s youngest daughter is blind so he had these installed in all of his company buildings and affiliates. They were picked up from Japan. They still have some fine tuning needed in the language department, but they work quite well considering,” Eric explained.

“Interesting…” you best friend said quietly to herself. Things like this fascinated her and only fueled her desire to move away to the land of the rising sun.

“You have arrived. Have a great day,” the elevator said flatly as the doors opened.

“They could have at least programmed it to sound sincere,” Amber laughed.

Everyone stepped out of the elevator and the doors closed behind you. The elevator returned to its place back on the first floor. Your best friend grabbed Eric’s hand and looked up at him with affectionate eyes. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the top of her head making your heart melt. That was what you wanted in life. You couldn’t wait for the day when that would be you and Amber.

Nostalgia hit you hard as you walked down the chrome halls. Aged, familiar faces walked passed your group and made you smile. Even though so many things had changed over the last few years, it was nice to see that some things had stayed the same. 

Eric stopped in front of a door with Amy’s name plaque on the outside. The door slid into the wall and dinged. Amy quickly spun around and beamed when she saw Eric. Her long, wavy, brunette hair swished across her back as she darted towards your group. 

“Eric!” Amy wrapped her arms around Eric, who stood only a couple of inches taller than her, and hugged him tightly. “I didn’t think you were going to make it! How was the trip?”

Jealousy flared in your best friend’s eyes as she gripped his hand with strength. He winced at the sudden tightness and laughed nervously. “It was great. I just got in this morning.”

Amy pulled back from him and placed her hand on her cocked hip. She peered over at your best friend and grinned broadly. “This must be the girlfriend you told me about! She is beyond cute!”

“T--thank you.” Your best friend loosened her grip on Eric’s hand as the other woman’s compliment made her blush. She cautiously eyed the girl in front of her. She was unsure how comfortable she felt with someone as gorgeous as Amy being so close to her boyfriend. She had enough insecurities of her own without the unanticipated competition. Even though Eric took every opportunity to express how beautiful she was, she couldn’t stop the burning envy building inside her.

“I guess we should get down to business, huh?” She brushed her bangs behind her ear and turned her back to the group. She briskly walked the few steps over to her unfinished station. You all had arrived a few minutes earlier than she was expecting, and she hadn’t had the chance to finish her set up. Normally, she would have been more prepared, but her excitement over seeing her good friend, Eric got the best of her. She rustled through a couple of drawers next to her salon chair and pulled out an assortment of things. 

“I have an appointment with a very important client after you all so sadly we can’t dawdle. You said that this was for a homecoming dance tonight, right? Do you have your outfits with you? I need them to make sure I match the colors perfectly,” she called out over her shoulder.

“We left them down in the car. I can go run and get them,” Eric offered.

“That’s a great idea! I’ll go too!” your best friend chimed in. She leaned over to you and whispered, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

You shot her a dirty look and waved your hand towards her to shoo her away. She giggled and followed after her boyfriend like a lovesick puppy. Even though she was acting different than normal, you didn't mind. Eric seemed like a good guy, and he made her happy. What more could you ask for?

“So, which one of you lovebirds is first?” she asked nonchalantly. Her focus was solely on her station.

“We’re not--” you and Amber frantically spouted out simultaneously. You both hesitated, eyes locked. Heat rose into your cheeks, and you both averted your eyes.

“Oh. I'm sorry. Eric said you two were going to the dance together. I had assumed the two of you were a couple.” Her voice was dripping with disbelief at your statements. “Well, just so you know, you two would make a cute couple.”

Your face lit up at her words. That was the best compliment you had ever received in your teenage life. Someone outside of your group actually thought that you and Amber would be great together. Hah. Suck on that, Beth-Anne.

“So, who is going to be my first victim?” Amy asked as she picked up a pair of scissors. She turned to face you and smiled wickedly.

“My hair won’t take long so I guess I will go first,” Amber volunteered, completely unfazed by Amy’s weak attempt at frightening the two of you.

“Aww. I’m so used to seeing at least a small amount of fear from that,” she said with a fabricated disappointment that forced a smile to tug at your lips. 

Amy seemed like a genuine person that didn’t follow the typical “rules” that came with working in this place. From what you could remember, so many of the other staff members were stiff and robotic in their speech and actions. They were all too afraid to show their true colors. The mere thought of the ramifications for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person kept them closed in. Amy, however, gave off the air of being laid back and comfortable with herself which was uncommon. It was a nice change of pace.

Amber took a seat in the plush chair and was lifted up off the floor as Amy placed her scissors back into her apron pocket. You stood off to the side and slipped your thumbs into your pockets as you took in the color around you. The entire interior was a calming blue similar to the sky during midday with matching shelves built into the walls. High quality, name brand products filled the shelves and made for a nice display. 

A round mirror hung on the wall opposite from Amber. You could see her checking out her own reflection and making weird facial poses you usually saw at the end of makeup tutorials. She locked eyes with you through the mirror and winked. Your heart jumped into your throat and forced you to look away. No matter how comfortable you were becoming with her, when she did things like that, you couldn't help your reactions.

“Alright. What style are you looking for? I have a few ideas to keep with your boyish look. As an added bonus, your complexion is already very smooth so very little makeup, if any, will be needed. That is, if you want it at all,” she inquired.

“I really like the hairstyle I currently have. If you could maybe just touch it up for me, that would be great. As for makeup, I don't usually wear it unless I really have to so I'm not the best to ask. You’re the stylist. Whatever you think will make me look the best,” Amber said as she placed her faith in Amy.

“That, I can definitely do,” the older girl said with confidence. 

Amber leaned back in the chair as a styling cape billowed over her body. Amy hooked the velcro in place and spritzed the top of Amber’s hair. As the comb ran through Amber’s unstyled hair, she exhaled slowly. 

Her mind was going a mile a minute. No matter how much she tried to pump herself up about the dance, this nagging, nervous feeling taunted her. What if she embarrassed herself in front of you? Why did she suddenly care about making a fool of herself? 

Her emotions made less and less sense to her the longer she spent with you, yet she didn’t mind. Her heart ached for you, but she was happy just being by your side. This whole thing was a complicated mess she never imagined that she would be in. Too bad she was stuck being painfully silent instead of her usual vocal self, but she was not about to jeopardize this friendship she worked hard to achieve.

Small snips from Amber's seat faded into the background as you sat down in one of the cushy chairs and let your mind wander. In all of your vivid daydreams about Amber, the simplicities of going to a salon together was never one of them. Experiencing it for yourself was refreshing. It felt good to just do normal stuff with her regardless if it was as friends or not.

“We have returned!” your best friend bellowed, breaking you away from your pleasant thoughts. She breathed heavily as her and Eric entered the room with dresses and suits draped across their arms.

“That's good. You can hang them on the coat rack next to the door,” Amy said, diligent in her work, not once looking away from Amber.

After hanging up everything, the couple took the empty seats next to you. The corner of your best friend’s lips curved up into a mischievous smile. There she was with that teasing look on her face again. Before she had the chance to ask, you groaned and whispered to her that nothing happened in the small amount of time she was gone. Her lips and cheeks puffed out as she pouted and proclaimed that you ruined her fun. 

“You’re so impatient,” you said in a hushed tone. “These things take time. I’m doing the best I can.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” she continued to pout.

Eric placed his hand under your best friend’s chin and tilted it up towards him. “There, there. Such a cute girl shouldn’t have such pouty lips unless she’s going to use them to kiss me.”

Your best friend’s entire face turned cherry red. “Wh-where did that come from?”

He pulled his hand away from her face and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Did you like it? I saw it in one of those manga you had me read. I figured it would calm you down.”

She nodded profusely and placed her hands in her lap. Rendered speechless, she stared down at the floor. Eric looked your way flashing you a thumbs up and a smile. You mouthed a ‘thank you’ and slumped down in your seat. You knew exactly which manga that scene was from and knew that it was your best friend’s favorite. It always made her flustered for the main character no matter how many times she read it. Eric’s scene just guaranteed you a small reprieve from her meddling, and you were forever grateful.

The minutes ticked by one by one. The only sound you heard were Amy’s scissors snipping away at Amber’s hair. The snipping ceased and the two girls talked among themselves about Amber’s hair style. After more painstakingly long minutes of teasing and styling, Amber’s hair was officially done. Amy strolled over to the coat rack and picked up your dress. She unzipped the bag and peered inside. 

“Oh, I love this blue. It’s gorgeous. Your makeup is going to be so much fun!” She zipped the bag back up. “I think I have an idea for Amber now.”

She returned to her position in front of Amber and opened up a multitier makeup box. You leaned over the back of your chair and stared in amazement as one by one she kept removing slides from the box. Each slide held several different shades, some of which you had never even considered before.

“We are going to focus on accentuating your eyes with some liner and light mascara. I will also be adding a small line of blue eyeshadow to match with your date’s dress. It will be a subtle touch that will make your overall look really pop.” Her closed hands opened up and simulated a firework exploding.

“Sounds like a plan,” Amber said contently. 

She was already satisfied with the haircut, and she was excited to see what witchcraft Amy was going to perform on her face. Makeup wasn’t really her thing, but she did enjoy the way it transformed a person’s look when they used it. She never thought about it as covering imperfections. Makeup, to her, was about the happy faces on the people that used it. Even if they didn’t necessarily need it to be considered pretty, the fact that something so small could give someone extra boosts of confidence was uplifting. 

Patiently waiting in your seat, you watched as Amy worked. Not only was she fast, but she had perfect precision in her execution. It wasn’t long before Amber’s makeup was done and the finished look made your heart beat fast in your chest. Even though it wasn’t much of a change from the normal Amber you had come to love, she still looked amazing.

“What do you think?” Amy asked as she handed Amber a small, hand mirror.

Amber looked over her reflection and made strange poses again. She replied that she looked hot, and thanked Amy for hard work. Your lips curled into a shy smile, and you turned around to face your still tongue-tied friend. You snapped your fingers in front of her face, dragging her out of her daydream.

“Are you going to be okay?” you teased.

“Oh, shut up. Having Eric perform that scene broke my brain for a second. If he was like that all the time, I think I would literally die.” Her hands rested on each side of her warm face. She was clearly still embarrassed by her unwarranted reaction.

Amber tapped you on the shoulder and gave you a smug grin. “Hey. You’re next. I’m excited to see what she does to you. I mean, not to brag or anything, but I think I look rather sexy. She did great work.”

“I agree! You look gorgeous!” you blurted out wholeheartedly. 

Amber sat down in the seat opposite of your best friend and forced a fairly normal sounding ‘thank you’ out of her mouth. She watched you skip away and bathed in her merriment. Even though she was both jubilant and embarrassed by your declaration, she had managed to get a proper acknowledgment out this time before clamming up. She mentally high-fived herself on her personal achievement. 

You took Amber’s previous seat in front of the mirror. Once you were seated comfortably, Amy placed the wiped down cape across your body. She hooked it into place around your neck and inspected your hair. She already had a few ideas about what she was going to do, but she wanted your input before she took a pair of scissors to your head. 

“Is there anything special you are wanting? Maybe something to match the dance’s theme?” Amy inquired.

“Every time I came here in the past, I just let them do whatever. It’s been awhile since I have been in though.” You picked your brain trying to recall the dance’s theme. You knew you should have paid more attention when the girls on the squad discussed it, but until a few days ago you weren’t even planning on going. As you stared at the array of eyeshadow colors in front of you, it hit you. “Oh! The theme this year is ‘Over the Rainbow’.”

“Alright, Dorothy. I think I can make that work,” she giggled. “We don’t have the time to dye your hair, but I know something that will work great. Just sit back and relax.”

She pumped up your chair, and spritzed your hair with water. As the comb ran through your hair and massaged your scalp, your eyes gradually closed. Your body tensed at the sudden sound of scissors snipping away at your hair, but you had full faith in what Amy was doing. She did such a great job with Amber’s hair, and her makeup fit her perfectly. You were sure that she wasn’t going to mess up yours.

She made casual chit chat with you that was typical in a salon with topics ranging from the weather to new movies coming out. Her voice was silky smooth and made you feel more relaxed. The conversation took all of your stresses and threw them away like garbage. That is until she brought a topic back to the surface.

“So, are you and her really just good friends? I not trying to assume anything again, but I have this uncanny intuition about other people. You two just give off the couple vibe,” Amy spoke in a hushed tone.

Your eyes shot open and glanced at her through the mirror. Quietly, you said, “Yeah. We’re just friends. Besides, she is in love with someone else. She told me herself.”

“I see. Well, if she loves someone else then she has a bad way of showing it. A woman in love doesn’t get that jittery around just a friend. I’m just on the outside looking in though so I could be wrong…” Her voice trailed off before picking up again. “What I’m really getting at is if you love her then you should tell her. It never hurts to try,” she whispered cheerfully as she continued to focus on trimming the ends of your hair.

You grew quiet as her words soaked in. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell her; you couldn’t tell her. Fear of rejection kept you on the sidelines. You two were becoming close friends and as much as it hurt inside, you didn’t want to lose that. You worked too hard to throw it all away.

“I just don’t think it’s the best idea right now,” you responded weakly.

“I see,” was all that she could manage. The gloomy air around you was thick and suffocating. She had to change the subject. Her scissors returned to their temporary home in her apron. Forcing a smile on her face, she said overly cheerful, “Well, you are now split end free. Let's perform a little magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I am back with a new update. Yay! :3 I have so many projects to work on. It's a bit overwhelming, but I have time on my side! The Maid Café that I host will be performing a murder mystery for our end of the year show. I'm really excited for it especially since I will be writing it and casted in it! I'm constantly a busy bee. Haha. Anyway, it's now....
> 
> Question Time~! 
> 
> Up next is the dance (finally). What do you think is going to happen? Will Amber make a fool of herself like she's fearing? Will Nick and Beth-Anne come crash the party? I'd love to hear (err...read) your thoughts! 
> 
> Thank you all for the constant support you all have showed me these last two years! For old readers, thank you so much for sticking with me! For my new readers, thank you for giving my story a chance, and I hope you stick around and join my little community!
> 
> I love you all! See you next time! ~


	22. Before the Storm

“Say cheese!” Jackie yelled with a burst of optimism. She focused her camera to take a quick shot of your group standing outside of the school gymnasium. The camera flashed making all of you blind for a split second.

“Alright, now one with me and (Your Name)!” Your brother jumped into the group from behind and pushed everyone else out of the way.

“Did you really have to come along?” you asked through a gritted teeth smile.

“Smile for the camera!” he shouted. The camera flashed taking your forced picture. He placed his hand on your shoulder and leaned down to whisper to you. “We’ll talk about all of this later. Now is not the best time. You need to have fun and enjoy your…” He paused then continued loudly, “...DATE!”

“Shut up!” Your fist made direct contact with his broad shoulder. He held his arm tightly and feigned being terribly injured while laughing. Your eyes narrowed and filled with intense heat. Jeez. What was his problem?

Jackie dragged Amber over to her and held up her phone to take a picture of the two of them together. Your attention was pulled away from your brother as Amber smiled. The setting sun bounced off of Amber’s highlights and made her skin glow. She was dazzling, and you couldn’t take your eyes off of her. 

A small, blue rose contrasted flawlessly against the darkness of her suit jacket. A matching corsage wrapped around your wrist and glimmered in the evening sunlight. While your group was busy at the salon getting gussied up for the dance, Jackie had spent her time scouring the entire city with your brother to find a perfectly matching pair. Luck was on her side, and she found them at the very last store they had time to stop at.

“Hey. Why don’t we take one together?” Amber’s voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Sure!” you exclaimed. 

Her arm wrapped around your shoulders forcing your heart into your throat. Your pulse echoed in your ears drowning out the sounds of everything around you. Amber leaned in closer to you and held up her phone. The picture started normal with small unnatural smiles, but it wasn’t long before you both began to make faces at the camera. She swiped through them and both of you chuckled as you looked back at them.

“All of these are keepers.” Amber stuck her tongue out imitating your expression in the last one.

“Alright then kiddos. You all go ahead. (Your Brother’s Name) and I need to go check in and then we’ll join you.” Jackie moved over to stand next to your brother.

“Wait. Why are you even coming in at all?” Your gaze shifted to your brother as your eyebrow raised. What was he up to now? He was going to do something to embarrass you. You just knew it.

“We volunteered to be chaperones at the last minute.” He lips curled into a cheeky grin.

“Oh no you’re not.” You marched up to him and pressed your index finger into his toned chest. “What kind of school is this anyway? Allowing teenagers to be chaperones.”

“One that enjoys donations. How do you think you were allowed to stay in the house by yourself all this time?” He removed your hand from his chest and crossed his arms.

“Because we told them that Aunt (Your Aunt’s Name) was staying there,” you retorted.

“And she does. When she isn’t traveling the world with whatever new husband she has. What number is she on now?” He drifted off into another topic.

“That doesn’t matter. Stop changing the subject. You can’t chaperone,” you commanded.

“Too bad. I already signed up, and I don’t go back on my promises.” He grabbed Jackie by the elbow and pulled her away from your argument before it turned into a shouting match. 

“Don’t walk away from me, (Your Brother’s Name),” you huffed. He waved casually to you and continued strolling away.

Amber crept up behind you and gently placed her hand on your shoulder. “Hey. Don’t worry about it. We’ll just ignore him all night. As long as he keeps to himself then you’ll be fine. I’m not thrilled about Jackie being here either, but what can we do? Let’s forget about them and go enjoy ourselves, okay?”

You glanced over at her gentle smile and nodded. It wasn’t your brother’s fault you were so on edge. You had this bad feeling that someone was watching you. You could have sworn you saw Beth-Anne out of the corner of your eye when your group first arrived, but when you looked no one was there. Your body shivered at the thought of dealing with her after what she did to your dress. The girl was clearly damaged to mutilate an innocent piece of cloth so violently.

“Cheer up!” Your best friend wrapped her arms around the two of you squishing you closer together. “Who cares if your siblings are here! We’re here to par-tay! Plus, I think Eric and Amber have a competition to finish. I’m so recording it this time.” She grinned from ear to ear.

A smile forced it’s way through your grimace. “You’re right. Forget them. Let’s go have fun!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Once he was out of your line of sight, your brother stopped and leaned up against the cold, shadowed wall under the overhang between two of the school’s wings. Cicadas chirped loudly as the sun created warm gradients across the sky among the darkening clouds. Jackie stared at the colorful sky and stood next to him. It reminded her of every romantic comedy she had seen. If this was some cheesy romance then he would profess his undying love for her even though they just met this morning. The atmosphere was perfect for it at least.

She turned to him and smirked, “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were using this as an excuse to be alone with me.”

“N--no. It’s not like that,” he stumbled over his words. “I just needed my sister to calm down. She can be so fiery sometimes.”

“I was just kidding,” she snickered. “Though, she sounds like Amber when she’s overly passionate about things. Like your sister for example.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. They won’t be safe until we can catch whoever is behind all of this. I was told through some connections of mine that a girl at this school is the one behind everything.” He stared down at his phone and tapped his foot impatiently.

“So, that’s why you insisted we volunteer. I was wondering about that. I mean, I’m always up for some fun so I don’t mind. I just figured you would rather do something else on a Saturday night.” She shrugged.

“And give up spending the evening with a beautiful, older woman?” He flashed her a sly smile. “Sorry. I know that was lame.” He chuckled and ran his fingers through his bangs.

“Yep. Totally lame,” Jackie giggled. Though she had to admit to herself that under circumstances that line would have worked. 

“Yeah…” His cheerful demeanor faded and his expression took a serious turn. “This is the least I can do for (Your Name). Our father sent me here to handle some things that I know she won’t like. I want her to be happy before I have to give her the bad news.”

“Bad news? What does that mean?” Jackie grilled him.

“Our father is--” Your brother’s phone rang, interrupting him. He held up his index finger and asked her to wait a minute so he could answer the call.

Jackie paced around the shadowed, concrete floor. What could be so bad that he traveled all the way from South Korea just to tell his sister? It had to be something that couldn’t have been said over text or a simple phone call. Oh no. What if their father was sick or dying? Her mind jumped from one bad scenario to another.

“Understood. Thanks again. I owe you one. See you later.” Your brother ended the call with a happier expression on his face. “That was my informant. He just gave me details of what she looks like and what she’s going to be wearing to the dance.”

Jackie pushed her negative thoughts back into the recesses of her mind. As much as she wanted to ask, she didn’t want to darken the mood again. The best she could do was focus on the immediate threat. She rolled her eyes. “You talk like you’re an actual detective.”

“Because I am, Watson. Now, let’s go. We have a villain to catch.”


	23. Dancing Queen Part 1

Lights flashed across the ceiling in tune with the beat of the thumping music. The floor was crowded with the bodies of awkward teenagers (in overpriced dresses and suits) attempting to dance. Your best friend gripped her camera around her neck and snapped multiple pictures proclaiming rather loudly how much fun it was going to be when she showed them off at your future high school reunion. You rolled your eyes at her and cracked a small smile.

You surveyed the room and noticed a long line of your fellow schoolmates patiently waiting to get their photos taken in front of a rather impressive backdrop decorated by the art classes. Next to it was a makeshift voting booth made crudely out of cardboard. A blonde with long, wavy strands pulled back into a loose bun looked up from the booth. It was Skye from your English class. She spotted you and waved to you excitedly. She motioned for you to come over.

“Is she waving at you?” your best friend gasped. You nodded and she whispered, “What is it with you and attracting pretty people? Do you bathe in pheromones or something?”

“Don’t you start with me, Miss ‘I Have a Hot, Korean Boyfriend and Living Out the Dream of Millions of Women’,” you replied in a hushed tone.

Your best friend's mouth dropped open. “Touché.” She raised up her hands in defeat.

“Let's go see what’s going on over there,” you said and pointed to where Skye was standing.

Your group weaved in and out of students making their way to the dance floor. Skye stepped around to the front of the booth and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile was sweet and accented by pink lipstick the same color as her flowing dress. To your relief, the area around the booth was significantly quieter than the floor.

“Oh my gosh! You look so pretty, (Your Name)! Your makeup fits perfectly with the theme!” She looked down and noticed your sparkling, red shoes. “The shoes are such a nice touch too!” Skye gushed over you. 

“Wow. Thanks. You look amazing yourself!” you replied shyly. Being complimented by the “pretty girl” of your class was not something you expected to happen today.

“You all should vote for the Homecoming King and Queen while you’re here. Especially since Amber is in the running for king.” She glanced over at Amber and her smile grew.

“Wait, what?” Amber’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “But only seniors get voted in.”

“Not this year. Your fanclub was very adamant that the student council add you.” Skye motioned her head over to a group of girls sitting on the bleachers staring at Amber with gleaming eyes. 

Amber waved at them and flashed them a smile. They all jumped up and squealed. You could just imagine their hearts exploding in their chests from the pure excitement of being acknowledged by her. You remember how it felt when you bumped into her in the hallway weeks ago, and she spoke to you for the first time. It took everything in your entire being back then to not embarrass yourself more than you already did.

“Here.” Skye handed you a small stack of ballot slips and pens; just enough for each of you to have one. “Put your votes in.” She turned to Amber and said, “I’m rooting for you!”

“Thanks.” Amber took one of the slips and pens from you. 

You glanced down at the list and noticed Amber’s name at the bottom for king. Without even thinking, you checked the box next to her name. Whoever else was chosen, you didn’t care about. You marked off random seniors for the court. You paused as your eyes scanned the section for homecoming queen. At the bottom was a name you weren’t expecting. 

“I guess Amber wasn’t the only one requested,” you said as you looked up at Skye. “You’re on here too.”

Skye sighed. “I know. I asked them not to but apparently, I have my own set of fans. It’s kind of weird.”

Amber lifted her pen from the box she was about to check. “Do you not want to win?”

“Well, it would be a great honor to win...and look great on my scholarship…” she said shyly.

Skye perplexed you. Last year, she was in the running for your grade’s student council president and was a shoo-in to win but dropped down to social activities chair at the last minute during her campaign. She claimed it was because she needed to focus on her studies which was all she ever seemed to do. Even though you didn’t spend a lot of time with her, you never noticed her interacting with anyone outside of school activities. Even during lunch, instead of sitting with a group of friends like you and countless others did, she always had her head in a book in the library. 

“Then, let it be done,” you said happily. Your entire group checked off the box next to her name at the same time. 

“Are you sure? I mean, Natasha, our senior student council president is also running. She should definitely win. She deserves a win more than I do.” Skye’s eyes shifted to the floor.

“Nonsense! Just because she’s a senior doesn’t mean anything. You’re great just the way you are!”

Even if your own self esteem had days where it seemed to just vanish like a magic act, you weren’t going to let her be so down on herself. Tonight was supposed to be a fun one, dammit. There were going to be no bad vibes tonight if you could help it. You didn't think your fragile grasp on sanity could take another event happening.

Skye's eyes brightened and a broad smile spread across her tinted lips. “You're always so kind, (Your Name). Thank you. I needed that.” 

You happily shoved your ballot in her hands. “No need to thank me. Good luck. We're rooting for you.” 

“You've got my vote,” Amber said as she handed over her ballot. 

Eric and your best friend handed over theirs. The gleam in Skye's eyes grew as she felt revitalized. She was glad that you had decided to come to the dance even if you were here with someone else. Unlike Nick, who was bordering on obsessed with you, as long as you were happy she was happy.

“Well, thank you again. Now, go. Have fun. I just wanted to make sure you got your votes in before it was too late.” She waved her hand to motion you to return to the dancefloor.

“No problem. We'll see you later!” You waved before taking your leave.

Vibrations from the bass massaged your feet as you crossed the wooden floor. A remix from a popular summer hit reverberated against the stone walls of the gymnasium. Eric moonwalked across the floor in front of you forcing giggles from your group.

“You're such a dork!” your best friend yelled happily. 

“Well, you love me so that must mean you're a dork too!” He smiled and slid across the buffed floor.

The song ended and flowed into the next one. Your best friend turned to you and squealed. Just from the intro alone, that you had heard probably a million times, you knew what song it was. This was her song; the one that she played on repeat until you began to hate its very existence.  She grabbed your hand with force. 

“Let’s go dance!” she yelled excitedly.

She pulled you into the crowd, leaving Amber and Eric in your dust. They soon lost sight of you among the bodies and decided against attempting to push through the other students. Spotting an empty, bottom bleacher they made their way across the recently cleaned gymnasium floor that still smelled faintly of citrus. Amber slumped down on the seat and tugged at the bowtie around her neck. Her suit was more uncomfortable than she was expecting it to be. It was really starting to aggravate her.

“I’m guessing you’re not used to the suit, huh?” Eric asked as he fiddled with his own tie.

“I’m used to baggy clothes, not ones that hug me like this. I feel like you can see what I’m thinking in this thing.” She stared down and pointed out her crotch jokingly prompting a laugh from Eric.

“It could be worse. You could be like that guy over there.” Eric pointed to Mr. Yang whose toupé wasn’t fooling anyone. His ill fitting suit, that had seen better days, was tan and dated.

“You should have seen him last year with his hot pink suit. Looked totally lame,” Amber snickered as she eyed Eric’s own suit.

“Hey, now. Don’t hate on my outfit. It’s one of a kind.” He bragged.

“I bet it is.” 

“I think it looks pretty fly if I do say so myself.” He popped his shirt collar.

“Ooh. Look at you being all smooth,” Amber snickered. 

She looked out over the crowd and spotted you and your best friend dancing in the middle towards the DJ booth. She waved out to you two, but it went unnoticed. Eric leaned back against the bleacher seat behind him and stared up at the colors running across the ceiling. Both of them drifted off into their own worlds for the duration of the song and a couple of others afterwards. Eric focused on the music and hummed along while Amber stayed fixated on you.

“I’m glad they are having fun,” Eric sighed contently. “It’s not often that I get to spend time like this with (Your Best Friend’s Name). I'm really enjoying myself.”

“Yeah. It’s nice seeing a smile on (Your Name)’s face,” Amber said as she smiled softly.

Eric glanced over at her; his own smile shining through the dim lighting of the room. “You know, everyone can tell how much you care for her.”

“Shut up, Eric!” Amber playfully slapped him on the back.

Before Eric had the chance to retort, the music stopped abruptly. Disgruntled groans sounded around the room as everyone turned their attention to the DJ’s booth. Feedback screeched from the microphone making everyone wince at the harsh sound.

“Can I have your attention please?” a soft, feminine voice spoke. “Voting for homecoming king and queen is now closed! The ballots will now be tallied. Thank you!”

Pop music slowly started back up as her microphone turned off. Your best friend gripped your hand and pulled you back through the stilled crowd. You weaved in and out of the cluster of students and emerged on the other side. 

A couple of small droplets of sweat dripped onto your brow. You two had really enjoyed a dance workout. It was at this point that you thanked your short cheerleading career. Before now, you couldn’t have imagined dancing spontaneously in front of everyone in your school without feeling even the slightest bit nervous. 

Amber and Eric hastily straightened their ties and jumped up from their seats to greet you two. “Wow. Looks like you two had fun!”

Amber reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a blue handkerchief. She reached out and dabbed your moist forehead. “There.”

“Thanks…” you said softly.

“No problem.” She folded the handkerchief back up and stuffed it back in her pocket.

“So, what should we do now?” Your best friend asked the group. “I’m all for dancing again, but this really isn’t my scene. Not enough blacklights and bright colors.”

You scanned the packed floor and noticed the once long line in front of the photo booth had dissipated. “What about a group photo? I know we took them outside, but might as well take one in Oz while we’re at it.”

“Sounds good to me,” Eric chimed in.

“We can get couple’s pictures too! I’m going to make so many girls jealous!” She snickered and latched onto Eric’s arm.

“Easy there. I’m the one who’s going to have every guy jealous of me.” He placed his hand on the top of her head and patted her.

“Get a room,” you and Amber piped in jokingly at their cheesy display of affection.

Your best friend smiled and stuck her tongue out at you. You returned the favor and walked with them towards the photobooth. A shiver crawled up your spine and made you stop in your tracks. You quickly glanced around the room, but nothing was there to be found. You had this horrible feeling again that Beth-Anne was here.

“Something wrong?” Amber asked, concerned.

You shook your head. “No. I just had a weird feeling I was being watched is all.”

“Well, you should get used to that. It’s a side effect of being so cute,” she replied calmly with a smile.

In an instant, your face went flush and turned the same crimson as your shoes. That uncomfortable tension building in your chest disappeared without a trace. The warmth from Amber’s kind words graciously took it’s place. She never ceased to amaze you. You wished you had the confidence to just speak your mind without any regard of the consequences. It was one of her many talents that you admired.

Amber linked her arm with yours. “We're off to see the wizard. The wonderful wizard of Oz.”

Your best friend linked her free arm around yours and skipped with you two through the gap in students. Curious eyes followed your group as you hummed your way towards the photobooth. Teachers and students snickered as they watched your display. Your brother and Jackie shook their heads in response.

“Well, if they were trying to blend in, I don't think it's working,” he sighed.

“Oh. Leave them alone. Let them have their fun,” Jackie said as she sipped her water.

Your brother scanned the room in hopes of catching a glimpse of the girl he was informed about. Just based off of the description he got over the phone it was even harder to believe that a girl like that could be responsible. She sounded like the type that couldn't hurt a fly. However, if he learned anything from his time in South Korea, it was that looks can be deceiving. 

“So, do you see anything yet?” Jackie asked curiously.

“No. It’s too dark in here to really make out anyone’s faces. I’ve been trying to focus on the dress, but I haven’t seen one red dress yet.” His brow furrowed and his eyes squinted as he continued to search the room.

Jackie screwed on the top to her water bottle and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Even if we don’t find her here, there is always the after party. I’m pretty sure she’ll show up there.”

“What after party?” He turned to face Jackie.

“You don’t know about it? I’m pretty sure every kid in school got the invite,” she responded nonchalantly. 

She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and pulled up the screenshots Amber sent her. Your brother read over the invitation and stared at it. He was perplexed by the location of the party. Last time he checked, that was Nick’s house. Why would he be throwing a party for the rival school in town? Unless maybe one of his friends was the one throwing it, and he was just providing the venue?

“Does the name sound familiar to you? I know the senator has a son, but I’ve never met him before.” She peered over his shoulder at her phone situated in his hands.

“Umm…” Your brother paused as he thought long and hard before speaking again. Nick was big on his privacy. He was never one to discuss his relationship with his father. It was probably best to continue to respect his wishes especially after he just pulled off such a big favor for him. Your brother shrugged in response. He didn’t want to outright lie to her.

“So, should we tag along there as well? I know Amber and your sister plan to go. I think it will be a fun experience for them,” Jackie suggested.

“Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Besides, I think you’re right. With no teachers around, she’ll probably try to use the after party as a chance to stir up more crap with (Your Name).” He handed her phone back to her.

The music thumped louder and the crowd cheered over the sound of the music. Jackie grabbed your brother’s hand and pulled him onto the dancefloor. She yelled that this was her favorite song of the season and danced goofily. He stood there, uneasy and awkward, and watched her dance. She laughed and smiled broadly as she twirled around. Her skirt rose and brushed against her knees.

“You should dance too!”

“I don’t dance!” he responded in a raised voice. 

“You do now!” She took his hand in hers once again and pulled him closer to her. She spun him around a couple of times and laughed. He remained rigid in his movements. He was okay with dancing and making jokes in private, but in front of a crowd of people, he always felt awkward.

The song ended and another one immediately followed. More cheers resounded as everyone formed lines in the crowd. Jackie lined up next to your brother and followed the crowd’s movements. Still nervous, your brother just stood in place.

“Oh. Come on. Even if you don’t dance. You still must know how to do the Cha Cha Slide. It literally tells you what to do in the song.”

“I really should get back to looking for her,” he said as he averted his eyes.

“(Your Brother’s Name), just shut up and have some fun.” She changed positions and faced him. “You either have to move with me, or I'm going to run into you. Your choice.”

A sigh left your brother as he turned his back to Jackie and followed the movements of the song. Jackie watched in surprise at how fluid his moves were. For someone that proclaimed he didn't dance, it sure didn't seem like it. They turned to face the back of the building and once again he stood next to her. 

Your group watched them with phones up and recorded the whole song. Your brother was never the type to dance in public unless it was for the purpose of making someone laugh. The expression on his face was serious, and he was concentrating heavily on his steps. That was a side of him you never imagined to see in your lifetime.

“Wow. Looks like your sister has accomplished the impossible. She got him to dance. Like seriously dance. Kudos to her.” You applauded Jackie. 

“It looks like he's having fun at least. I know this whole thing has everyone on edge, but it wouldn't hurt for him to relax. Plus, that means we can ditch them for a bit.” She motioned to the locker room. “Come with me.” 

Your best friend turned towards you and shoved you away from her. “Go. Have fun. We'll keep them distracted if we need to.”

You nodded and followed Amber to the girl's locker room. A couple of girls sat on the benches and chatted about how bored they were with their dates. They sat, oblivious to you two even entering the room. Amber lead you around the corner to the back of the sparkling showers. She took a seat on one of the benches and patted the spot next to her. You eagerly accepted her invitation and took it. 

“Sorry for dragging you away from everything. I just wanted to hear myself think for a moment and actually get the chance to talk to you without any sibling interference.” 

“Oh. It's no problem,” you replied. 

“That's good,” she said. 

Both of you sat in silence, and your knee began to shake nervously. Come on. Say something. Say anything. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” you asked quickly. 

“Yeah. It's been fun. Thanks for coming along with me. I was surprised when (Best Friend's Name) told me that you didn't have a date. Not that this is a date or anything.” She frantically added the last part.

“Yeah. Of course it's not a date. I never thought it was,” you responded calmly even though you were internally weeping.

Amber stared into your eyes intently. “I'm glad we're on the same page then. I don't want people to get the wrong idea about us. I don't want you to have to worry about some crazy person breaking into your house in the middle of the night. I cherish you, and I care about you deeply. I don't want our friendship to be ruined.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as your emotions felt like they were about to burst from your chest. “I care about you a lot too, Amber. You're so amazing, and I'm lucky to even be here with you. Just knowing that you care for me that much makes me happy.”

A blush crept up on Amber’s face. Without thinking she leaned forward, her face mere inches from yours. Your breathing quickened. This felt just like that dream you had the other night where she leaned in and kissed you in a way you had never felt before. Was it really going to happen this time?

Your eyes met for a moment. She leaned in closer but hesitated and pulled back from you. Her expression dropped in front of your eyes, and her eyes shifted to the floor. Moments of silence passed before she glanced back up at you. Only, this time, her expression was indistinguishable. 

She reached up and brushed your cheek with her thumb. “This person you love, whoever they are, would be lucky to have you. Remember that.”

Amber pulled her hand back from your face and stood up. She excused herself claiming she needed some fresh air. You hopped up from your seat, but she stopped you. 

“You should go back out there with your friend. I'll be there in a moment. I just need a moment to breathe.” 

Amber turned the corner and left your sight. The heavy door to the locker room closed loudly behind her as she stepped outside. Once she was out of range for the rest of the party goers, she sat down on the ground with her back against the stone wall of the gymnasium.

“I'm so stupid. I almost ruined everything in there. Dammit.” 

She placed her head in her hands. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. She was doing great at keeping cool until she witnessed the raw emotion on your face when you told her how much you cared almost did her in. That fiery passion in your eyes almost drove her to doing the one thing she told herself she needed to avoid at all costs. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up placing her heart on the table in front of you. Right now was not the time for that. She had to get a grip on herself before she screwed up everything.

Footsteps echoed through the breezeway and stopped in front of Amber. A sweet voice called out to her. “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got the free time to finish this chapter! *enter fanfare* Work has been murder on me, and my amount of free time to just breathe has been miniscule. I really wanted to get this chapter done a lot sooner, but I was unable to. I apologize for the delay, and thank you for understanding my situation.
> 
> I also want to thank every single one of you for reading my story. We finally got to 50,000 reads (on Wattpad)! I couldn't have done it without all of you amazing people. To celebrate, I plan to host another f(x) poster giveaway soon! I'm not sure when I will be able to post details about it, but stay tuned!
> 
> Question Time: What is your favorite song to dance to? 
> 
> Thank you again everyone for your amazing support! I love you all, and I will see you in the next update! :3


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